A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck northeast of Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh early Monday, with tremors felt in the capital Cairo, according to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics.
The earthquake occurred at around 3:00 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres. The epicentre was located at 30.19 degrees north latitude and 32.61 degrees east longitude, the institute said.
Authorities said the tremor was felt by residents in several areas but there were no reports of loss of life or property damage. Xinhua correspondents also reported feeling the tremors in Cairo.
Following the earthquake, Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar directed the immediate activation of the country’s health emergency plan and convened the ministry’s central crisis and emergency operations room.
The Health Ministry raised the alert level to the highest in emergency and critical care departments at hospitals across the country. Ambulances and rapid response teams were placed on standby to respond to any emergency.
The ministry later confirmed that the health situation remained stable and that no earthquake-related injuries had been reported.
The Egyptian Red Crescent also activated its emergency response plans in areas where the tremors were felt and said it had not received any reports of casualties or property damage.
Egypt is located near active tectonic zones around the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba, making it vulnerable to occasional moderate earthquakes. The country is also affected by seismic activity in the Mediterranean region, where the African Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate, occasionally generating tremors felt across northern Egypt.
-IANS
