Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake Jolts Egypt Near Suez, No Immediate Damage
CAIRO-A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck northeast of the Egyptian city of Suez shortly after midnight GMT on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, with tremors felt across several countries in the eastern Mediterranean but no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
The shallow earthquake occurred at 0000 GMT and was centered about 41 km (25 miles) north-northeast of Suez, according to the USGS. Authorities continued to assess the impact as emergency response teams monitored the affected areas.
Residents in Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Cyprus reported feeling the tremor, according to posts on social media. Reuters could not independently verify those accounts.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said it had activated its emergency response plan in the governorates where the earthquake was felt. The organization said it had not received any reports of deaths, injuries or property damage.
In a statement, the Red Crescent urged residents to stay away from buildings showing signs of structural damage and to rely on official information while authorities completed inspections and evaluated the situation.
There were no immediate indications that critical infrastructure had been affected, and officials had not announced any evacuation orders or emergency declarations.
Egypt experiences earthquakes from time to time because of its proximity to several active seismic zones, although destructive earthquakes are relatively uncommon. Authorities routinely monitor seismic activity and coordinate emergency responses when tremors are recorded.
Officials continued to gather information from the affected governorates, while emergency teams remained on standby in the event that additional assistance was required.
