Athens, Nov 12, (dpa/GNA) – Cyprus was rocked by two strong earthquakes on Wednesday.
The epicentre of the tremors was located approximately 25 kilometres north-east of the tourist resort of Paphos. Cypriot media reported that the severe tremors, were felt across the entire island, and as far away as the coasts of Turkey, Israel and Lebanon.
The Cyprus Geological Survey said the first quake in the morning had a magnitude of 5.3. People ran into the streets, and schools were evacuated as a precaution. This was followed by numerous small, barely noticeable tremors.
The second strong quake occurred in the afternoon, also measuring over 5 on the Richter scale, and once again it caused fear among the population.
Experts were cautious with their predictions. There has been no significant damage so far, civil defence spokesman Panayiotis Liassides told Alpha TV.
Seismologists emphasized in interviews with Cypriot media, that it would take 48 hours before it was clear, whether the strong earthquake in the morning was the main one.
GNA