An earthquake registering 4 on the Richter scale shook Sofia at 1.52pm on Wednesday, causing panic and problems in mobile communications. The quake lasted more than one minute. No damages or casualties were reported.
Outside of the capital Sofia, the quake was felt in almost all of Southern Bulgaria.
Kozlodui Nuclear Power Plant said the quake was not felt there and the area remained calm.
The Civil Defence chief, General Nikola Nikolov, said the quake caused a certain anxiety among the population. Two tremors were felt in Sofia in quick succession. The equipment registered about a dozen more of them, but they were very light and were not felt by people.
“There is no cause for concern. We are watching the situation closely. The state leadership has been informed and all the necessary measures are being taken,” Nikolov said.
GloBul announced in a press release, immediately after the quake, of problems with its connections because of the enormous amount of subscribers who tried to communicate via mobile phones. MobilTel and Mobikom’s lines also experienced high traffic.
The Bulgarian Academy of Science’s seismological institute reported that the earthquake had an epicentre 130-150 kilometres southwest of Sofia near the Macedonian capital Skopje. Later, it specified that the tremor was epicentred on the territory of Serbia, near the town of Presevo.
At the epicentre, the quake was with magnitude of about 5 on the Richter scale, the officials from the institute said, quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.
Associated Press reported Wednesday of a “moderate earthquake that jolted areas throughout the central Balkans, causing many frightened people to rush out of shaking buildings”.
The Seismological Institute of Serbia said a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 was recorded in the southern province of Kosovo at 12.50pm (1.50pm in Bulgaria), some 280 kilometres south of the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade.
An apparent aftershock hit Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, just past 1.00pm local time (2.00pm in Bulgaria), with people rushing to leave buildings. In southern Serbia the quake toppled several chimneys.
Outside of the capital Sofia, the quake was felt in almost all of Southern Bulgaria.
Kozlodui Nuclear Power Plant said the quake was not felt there and the area remained calm.
The Civil Defence chief, General Nikola Nikolov, said the quake caused a certain anxiety among the population. Two tremors were felt in Sofia in quick succession. The equipment registered about a dozen more of them, but they were very light and were not felt by people.
“There is no cause for concern. We are watching the situation closely. The state leadership has been informed and all the necessary measures are being taken,” Nikolov said.
GloBul announced in a press release, immediately after the quake, of problems with its connections because of the enormous amount of subscribers who tried to communicate via mobile phones. MobilTel and Mobikom’s lines also experienced high traffic.
The Bulgarian Academy of Science’s seismological institute reported that the earthquake had an epicentre 130-150 kilometres southwest of Sofia near the Macedonian capital Skopje. Later, it specified that the tremor was epicentred on the territory of Serbia, near the town of Presevo.
At the epicentre, the quake was with magnitude of about 5 on the Richter scale, the officials from the institute said, quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.
Associated Press reported Wednesday of a “moderate earthquake that jolted areas throughout the central Balkans, causing many frightened people to rush out of shaking buildings”.
The Seismological Institute of Serbia said a preliminary magnitude of 5.1 was recorded in the southern province of Kosovo at 12.50pm (1.50pm in Bulgaria), some 280 kilometres south of the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade.
An apparent aftershock hit Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, just past 1.00pm local time (2.00pm in Bulgaria), with people rushing to leave buildings. In southern Serbia the quake toppled several chimneys.
