3.8-magnitude quake in eastern Switzerland wakes residents at dawn
About 600,000 people in Switzerland and Liechtenstein felt the tremor, with no reports of serious damage.
ZURICH — A magnitude-3.8 earthquake struck eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein early Sunday morning. According to Telegrafi, the tremor was felt at around 04:30 and shook residents awake across a wide Alpine area.
The epicenter lay about six kilometers east of Walenstadt, in the canton of St. Gallen, south of Lake Constance. Although the magnitude was modest, the shallow depth meant that more than 600,000 people felt the quake, according to the Swiss Seismological Service.
Hundreds of reports flooded into seismological centers right after the event. Social-media users described brief but visible shaking of windows and furniture, while some said they were afraid to go back to sleep.
No major damage reported
The Swiss Seismological Service announced that “no major damage has been reported,” although it did not rule out small cracks in some buildings. Routine checks of public buildings, especially schools and hospitals, were carried out during the day.
Earthquakes are relatively rare in Switzerland compared with Mediterranean countries, but not unknown. The country sits near the boundary where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, which explains continued seismic activity in the Alpine region.
No major damage has been reported so far, though minor structural cracks in buildings remain possible, the Swiss Seismological Service said, as cited by Telegrafi, calling on residents to report any damage they noticed.
The canton of St. Gallen mobilized civil-protection teams for precautionary inspections, while police urged calm. In Liechtenstein too there are no reports of damage or injuries.
Experts have warned that smaller aftershocks may occur in the hours and days ahead but said there are no signs of a larger quake to follow.
Source: Telegrafi