6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Felt in Cairo and Giza, No Damages Reported

On Saturday, an 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit Mediterranean’s Greek island of Crete, according to a statement by Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIA).

NRIA added that the earthquake was felt in Cairo and Giza governorates.

The institute pointed out that it had not received any reports of any losses or injuries.

"The quake was at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km (6 miles)," EMSC said.

Latest reports from the EMSC said that earthquake had a magnitude of 6.6, though previous reports had varying numbers.

Greece is in an earthquake-prone zone and tremors are common. There were no reports of casualties or damage, police, the fire brigade and civil protection authorities said.

Egypt is typically an earthquake safe country that rarely sees this natural phenomena.

In 1992, an earthquake measuring 5.6 hit the country, killing 541 people and injuring 6,522 others.

In 1903, Egypt was hit by the strongest earthquake in the country’s recent memory, killing 10,000 people.

The strongest and latest powerful earthquake hitting Egypt took place in November, 1995 in the Gulf of Aqaba, hitting also Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale. 12 people reportedly died.

Over the past few months, Egypt has witnessed a surprising number of minor earthquakes, mainly around the Red Sea and South Sinai, as well as along the Mediterranean coast, specifically in Mersa Matruh where the highest magnitude was 3.66 MI, according to scoopempire.com

The Middle East is one of the few regions on Earth that rarely experience major earthquake activities, however, the history of earthquake occurrences in the Middle East has still taken a heavy toll and damages many lives. The most recent disastrous earthquakes in our region are the 1982 Dhamar earthquake in Yemen and the 1992 earthquake that hit Cairo.

Both incidents have emphasized the importance of careful evaluation and documentation of the earthquake hazards in the Middle East, to always be prepared for any activity, and finally, avoid the vulnerability of structures for a more effective response to any earthquake threat.