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4.7-magnitude quake jolts eastern Romania

16 October 2013 01:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. An earthquake measuring over 4.7 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted Vrancea County in eastern Romania on Tuesday evening, according to the National Institute for Earth Physics Research and Development, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The quake occurred at a depth of 136 km, with the epicenter near commune of Jitia, some 140 km north-west of the capital city of Bucharest, where the tremor was also felt.

There is no report of casualty for now.

Vrancea is one of the most active seismic areas in Europe. It is known for its intermediate-depth (70-200 km) earthquakes, which can reach a magnitude of 7.0-7.8.

In March 1977, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed 1,600 people in Romania and damaged 8,500 buildings.

2013 is a year rich in seismic events in Romania. An earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale jolted Vrancea region on Oct. 6 and at least another six quakes measuring over 4 and under 5 degrees on the Richter scale hit the same county.

Meanwhile, over 200 minor quakes were reported these days in eastern county of Galati, a neighboring region of Vrancea.