A view of Beirut. Photo João Sousa
BEIRUT — A 5.2-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that struck Cyprus this morning was felt in Beirut, according to the Geophysical Center of the National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS) and local residents' reports.
"An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale was recorded to the west of the island of Cyprus at 11:32 a.m. local time. It was felt by a number of citizens in Lebanon," the CNRS said in a statement.
The agency added that these tremors have "no connection to Lebanon's fault lines."
Tremors were felt by residents of Tripoli, in northern Lebanon, particularly those living near the coastline, our regional correspondent reported.
Some residents left their homes fearing aftershocks, although no material damage was reported, he added.
The Civil Defense announced that its teams had carried out field inspections in Tripoli to check for any potential dangers and to ensure the safety of citizens who had left their homes and gathered in the Rashid Karameh International Fairgrounds.
Later in the afternoon, another earthquake was felt in Lebanon, particularly in the capital and its suburbs. According to the CNRS geophysics center, this was a second earthquake that occurred at the same location on the same fault east of the island of Cyprus at 4:23 p.m. local time. This new tremor had a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale.
