Earthquake Hits Northern Israel

Mediterranean earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shakes Cyprus and was felt as far east as the Haifa area.

By Tova Dvorin

 

An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook Cyprus Saturday night, with the effects felt as far east as Northern Israel. The two areas primarily affected were Haifa and the Krayot.

The quake’s epicenter was about 50 kilometers deep in the Mediterranean Sea, and about 80 kilometers from Antalya, Turkey.

No casualties are reported and no further aftershocks are expected.

Orit, a resident of the Kiryat Shmuel neighborhood in Haifa, described the quake to Arutz Sheva.

“I live on the fourth floor of our building; you could see the floor moving under our feet,” she recounted.”The bookshelf in the living room shook and some religious books fell.”

Luckily, no one was hurt, and no damage was reported.

“I certainly felt the earthquake,” wrote in another reader. “We live on a lower floor – we had just sat down to dinner. Everything was moving and shaking – even my computer and our food. It lasted for about half a minute or so, and then everything calmed down and went quiet again.”

Israel saw a series of earthquakes in October, when as many as 6 shook the northern area of the country within a single week. Experts have warned that another major earthquake could strike at any time, prompting preparation efforts from the Home Front Ministry.

 

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/175631#.Ur81hLSPlgh