Information about the earthquake in Turkey seriously alarmed the authorities, the population and tourists in Egypt. According to the Egyptian media, weak aftershocks as an echo of the strike on Turkey on Monday, February 6, were felt in Cairo and in some other provinces, including the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The news is all the more alarming to the local authorities, since Egypt has already counted three earthquakes since the beginning of the year, while they are small and not so destructive, nevertheless they quite noticeably shook Cairo and Hurghada. But, as centuries of experience shows, with a strong seismic shock in the Mediterranean, Egypt can easily be in a high-risk zone.
Residents of Greater Cairo and Delta Governorate felt the quake on Monday, according to the statement. And this is the third earthquake in Egypt since the new year. On Friday, February 4, residents and tourists of Hurghada felt a small jolt, but it was probably too weak to alarm them. The media also claim that last Wednesday, January 25, there was also an earthquake of magnitude 6 Richter, which was felt by a large number of residents of Greater Cairo, but it lasted a few seconds. It happened off the northern coast of Egypt, under the Mediterranean Sea.
Egyptian media remind that since the beginning of 2023 it has been “shaking” in various parts of the world – this is the USA, the Pacific Islands, and Papua New Guinea , and China. But the most threatening region is, of course, the Mediterranean.
Our reference: the “historical experience” of earthquakes for Egypt in a relatively new time has been reporting since 1859. Then a terrible earthquake on October 12 – the strength of which at the epicenter reached 8.3 points, according to sources – “swept” throughout the Mediterranean. On the island of Crete, where the epicenter was located, the consequences were terrible, and it was felt from Italy to the Middle East and North Africa. Cairo was also under attack – buildings were destroyed, blockages formed in the canals, at least 10 people died – probably significantly more, but statistics are not available. Alexandria and other settlements on the coast also suffered.
Almost a century later, in September 1959, the Alexandria earthquake was recorded, with a force of 6.3 points, almost 500 houses were destroyed, 18 dead and about 30 injured were counted. Then in 1969, Sharm el-Sheikh “shaken”. The next seismic disaster occurred almost in our time, in 1992, the so-called earthquake in Dahshur or the Cairo earthquake. The power was 5.8 points, but the main destruction occurred in the densely populated suburbs of Cairo and neighboring provinces. As a result, 561 dead and over 12 thousand injured.
So, in general, Egypt has something to worry about. Cairo itself is located in the fault zone, as is the “risk” Antalya. By the way, the Red Sea, beloved by our tourists, is also considered a seismic zone.
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