6.6-Magnitude Quake Off Cyprus Coast Shakes Region

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Eastern Mediterranean off the western coast of Cyprus at 3:08 am local time (UTC+2) on Tuesday. The tremor was felt at locations throughout the surrounding region, including Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Syria, and Turkey, in addition to Cyprus, itself. Its epicenter was about 48 kilometers (30 miles) west-northwest of the town of Polis in Cyprus, at a relatively shallow depth of just 19.6 kilometers. Several aftershocks followed the main quake. People were woken from their sleep and some ran out into the street as their houses shook violently, with objects falling from shelves, but there were no reports of casualties or major property damage. Earthquakes in Paphos in 1995 and about 22 miles off the coast of Paphos in 1996 killed two people each. In 1953, a quake in the Paphos region triggered landslides and a small tsunami, killing 40 people, injuring 100, damaging 33,000 buildings, and destroying hundreds of homes.