A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck one of the world’s oldest cities, with residents across the ancient city of Cairo in Egypt woken just after 3am to shaking buildings as the earth rocked beneath them.
The epicentre of the earthquake, which struck just after 3am local time, hit just outside the Egyptian capital. The epicentre has been confirmed as being 28 miles north of Suez and 70 miles south-southeast of Port Said, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Initial reports claimed the quake had measured a 5.9, but both the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and the USGS have revised the scale down to a 5.3 strength quake.
Despite the revision, the quake had an incredibly shallow strike depth of only 6.2 miles into the earth. The shallower the strike zone usually indicates stronger the surface tremors, with locals confirming as much on social media.
It is understood that tremors were felt as far away as in Israel and the Dead Sea area, as per the Jerusalem Post. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4 and hit at a depth of 6 miles, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
The Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed it had activated its emergency response procedures in areas where tremors were felt. Although there have been no reports of injuries or damage, the organisation urged residents to stay away from any buildings showing signs of earthquake damage. A spokesperson also encouraged people to rely on official updates while Egyptian authorities continue assessing the situation.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Israel‘s Home Front Command Centre said there were no warnings indicating that any further earthquakes were expected to strike Israel or nearby areas.
Reports of tremors came from across the region, with people in Gaza, Israel and the Dead Sea all shaken by the quake. In Cairo, residents widely described the force of the shaking and rumbling. Some frightened locals said their homes and buildings were “shaking in an unnatural way”, while others turned to God for protection during what is a relatively rare geological event in Egypt.
Another resident said it had “been a while since I’ve experienced an earthquake this strong”, adding: “The whole house was shaking.”
Videos shared online also captured the moment the quake struck, with a deep rumbling noise heard moments before the ground began to shake. An eerie wobbling sound could also be heard in the footage.
Several Android users said they received earthquake alerts on their phones mere seconds before the Earth began to tremble, while a number of iPhone users took to social media to reveal they had no warning whatsoever before the shaking began.
Although tremors from earthquakes elsewhere are sometimes felt in Egypt, quakes of this strength are considered relatively uncommon in the country.
One of Egypt’s deadliest earthquakes in recent memory struck near Cairo in 1992. The magnitude 5.8 quake killed more than 500 people and caused widespread destruction across the city.
Even more recently, parts of Egypt felt the ground lurching beneath them during the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquakes that struck at the Turkey-Syria border in 2023. The monster quakes were particularly felt in the northern city of Alexandria at the time.