The National 11 January 2022
An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude hit the Eastern Mediterranean region near the southwestern coast of Cyprus on Tuesday and was felt all the way south in Egypt.
The tremor was registered 415 kilometres north of Damietta on the Mediterranean coast north of Cairo, Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics said.
A resident in Cyprus told The National that a “minor tremor” was felt in the capital Nicosia.
In Egypt, the earthquake was felt in areas north of the capital Cairo.
There were no reports of damage or casualties.
Egypt was last hit by a damaging earthquake in 1992, when the 5.8 magnitude tremor killed more than 500 and injured 6,500. At least 50,000 people were left homeless by the earthquake, whose epicentre was near Cairo.
According to first information from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the quake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale.
The epicentre was stated as being 57 km WNW of Peyia, 119 km WNW of Limassol (35.20 N ; 31.89 E) at a depth of 51 km.
The following announcement was later issued by the Geological Survey Department:
"The Geological Survey Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment announces that on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 03:08, a strong earthquake of magnitude M= 6.1 on the Richter scale was recorded by the Department's seismological network.
The earthquake had an epicentre in the sea area of Cyprus, 50 km west-northwest of Polis Chrysochous and a focal depth of 25 km. The earthquake was strongly felt throughout Cyprus, especially in the Paphos district. It was also felt/perceived throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
By 05:30 there has been a series of non-noticeable aftershocks, with a maximum magnitude of 3.1 on the Richter scale."
There have been no official reports of injuries or damage at this stage.
