site.btaEarthquake Registered in SW Bulgaria, No Injuries or Damage Reported

Earthquake Registered in SW Bulgaria, No Injuries or Damage Reported

Sofia, May 22 (BTA) - An earthquake measuring 4.3 points on the Richter scale was registered around noon on Sunday in southwestern Bulgaria, epicentered some 120 km south of Sofia, the National Institute for Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography (NIGGG) with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences reported. The tremor was felt in the cities of Sandanski and Blagoevgrad. No damage or injuries have been reported, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

An aftershock measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale was reported a few minutes after the main shock.

Prof. Emil Botev of the NIGGG's Seismology Department told BTA that the earthquake falls into the weak earthquakes category.

The epicenter is located some 10 km underneath the Kresna Gorge in the western parts of the Pirin Mountain.