Residents of Aswan, Upper Egypt, felt an earthquake in the early hours of Wednesday.
A large number of citizens in several areas in the city confirmed that they felt the earthquake at two am.
The National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) said that a medium-magnitude of four degrees Richter earthquake occurred 17 km northeast of Aswan, at a depth of 10 km, but did not result in any losses.
Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Egypt, with most causing little to no damage or casualties.
The Egyptian National Seismic Network is one of the most modernized earthquake networks in the world, and Egypt is amongst the first countries to have established a seismic network in the MENA.
The network operates through 70 stations whose locations have been carefully selected in light of the seismic history of all of Egypt. Following the network’s establishment, it has become impossible for any earthquake to occur without recording and monitoring it regardless of its strength.
Egypt is far from seven seismic belts known worldwide. However its proximity to some seismically active areas such as the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea makes it affected with some earthquakes of medium strength.
Past earthquakes
July 2019 saw three other earthquakes strike Egypt, according to the chairman of Egypt’s National Seismic Network Gad Mohammed al-Qadi, who stated that a 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit east of Cairo on July 12 with no casualties reported, while another 1.8 magnitude earthquake hit the area on July 6 and a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit north of Alexandria on July 5.
On November 22, 1995, the largest of Egypt’s earthquakes in modern history measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. It hit the city of Nuweiba on the Red Sea, killing five people and wounding dozens of others. It was felt in North Africa, Spain and Turkey.
An earthquake took place on October 12, 1992, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, killing 541 people and injuring 6,522 others. It destroyed 398 buildings and left 8,000 other buildings threatened with collapse.
In 1903, Egypt was hit by an earthquake, which was the strongest of the last century, killing 10,000 people.
One of the most famous earthquakes recorded in the history of ancient Egypt was a massive one that struck Alexandria and caused parts of the city to sink into the Mediterranean Sea, including the Isis Temple.
