Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes Egypt, shaking felt in Cairo

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes Egypt, shaking felt in Cairo

Carlos Robles

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck near Suez in northeastern Egypt, causing strong shaking near the epicenter and noticeable tremors as far away as Cairo.

The earthquake struck at 3 a.m. local time on Monday and was centered 41 kilometers (28 miles) north of Suez and 113 kilometers (70 miles) south-southeast of Port Said, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), which is considered shallow and can result in stronger shaking at the surface.

The earthquake was clearly felt across the region, with some people near the epicenter reporting strong shaking. Tremors were also widely reported in Cairo.

“It’s been a while since I’ve experienced an earthquake this strong,” one social media user said. “The whole house was shaking.”

Several Android users reported receiving an earthquake warning on their phones seconds before the shaking began.

Earthquakes of this strength are relatively unusual in Egypt, although tremors from earthquakes elsewhere in the region are occasionally felt in the country.

One of Egypt’s deadliest earthquakes in modern history struck near Cairo in October 1992. The magnitude 5.8 earthquake killed more than 500 people and caused widespread damage.

The massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023 were also felt across parts of Egypt, particularly in the northern city of Alexandria.