USGS: Magnitude 5.6 quake hits eastern Romania

Sandra Maler and Richard Chang
Reuters
Sat, 24 Sep 2016 00:46 UTC

© earthquake.usgs.gov

Image of where the quake struck in Romania

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck eastern Romania on Saturday north of Bucharest, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 5.7, struck at 2:11 a.m. (2411 BST on Friday). It was centered 92 miles (149 km) north of Bucharest, and 41 miles (65.98 km) northwest of the town of Buzau.

A magnitude 5.7 is considered a moderate quake that could inflict considerable damage but it was 56.7 miles (91.25 km) deep, which would dampen its effect.

Romania is not often hit by earthquakes.

Comment: See also:

• USGS: Magnitude 6.5 quake hits off Philippines' Mindanao island
• Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits southeast of Tokyo
• 5.5 magnitude earthquake hits Mozambique, strongest in 11 years