5.2 Richter earthquake in Oltenia / Earthquake was felt in western and central Romania / Seismologist: It is the strongest earthquake in the area

An earthquake measuring 5.2 Richter occurred on Monday in Romania, 14 km northwest of Târgu-Jiu and 73 km northeast of Drobeta Turnu-Severin, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). The quake occurred at a depth of 15 km, according to the Institute for Earth Physics.

The quake was felt in the west of the country.

„The area is known to sometimes produce small earthquakes of 4 to 5 Richer. Earthquakes are quite frequent in the area,” Mihai Diaconescu, a seismologist at the National Institute for Earth Physics (INFP), told Antena 3.

He said there was no connection with the earthquake in Turkey, pointing out that earthquakes in the Târgu-Jiu area could be related to seismic activity in Italy.

Where the earthquake was felt, according to ISU: The quake was felt 102km SW of Sibiu, 107km NW of Craiova, 137km W of Pitesti, 166km E of Timisoara, 179km S of Cluj-Napoca, 183km SE of Arad, 196km V of Brasov, 218km E of Belgrade, 222km E of Zemun, 224km V of Ploiesti.

Marius Screciu, mayor of Drobeta Turnu Severin, told Antena 3 that the earthquake was felt for a few seconds, without major events. Severin has 11 buildings with seismic risk assessments, and there were no problems, he added.

Head of the Department for Emergency Situations Raed Arafat on Realitatea TV: „We hope that there will be no effect of today’s earthquake and that people will not fall victim to any disinformation campaign”.

Mihai Diaconescu, a seismologist at the National Institute for Earth Physics (INFP), told Antena 3 that this is the strongest earthquake in the area