Egypt hit by 5.6-magnitude earthquake with tremors felt across Middle East
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake has struck near the Egyptian city of Suez, the country’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics said, with tremors rattling neighbouring countries.
The institute said there were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage following the quake, which hit shortly after 3:00am Cairo time on Monday and was felt across parts of the country.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre received more than 3,190 reports from residents who felt the earthquake. Its intensity map showed shaking across Cairo, the Nile Delta, Alexandria and Port Said, extending up to 400km from the epicentre north of Suez.
The tremors were also felt beyond Egypt, with reports recorded in the Gaza Strip, Jordan and Lebanon, highlighting the reach of seismic waves across the eastern Mediterranean.
The Egyptian Red Crescent activated its emergency response plan in governorates where the quake was felt, urging residents to avoid buildings showing signs of structural damage and to rely on official updates as authorities assessed the situation.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the earthquake at magnitude 5.4, slightly lower than the Egyptian institute’s estimate. GFZ said the quake struck at a depth of 10km.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation, with no reports of significant disruption in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.
Jordan’s official Petra news agency said a separate 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck east of Kirkuk governorate in northern Iraq on Sunday.
It cited the Iraqi Seismic Observatory as saying monitoring stations recorded the quake east of Kirkuk, with no casualties or material damage reported.
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