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Earthquake shakes Cyprus, felt in Israel

Cyprus lies in a secondary earthquake-prone zone, but tremors of such magnitude are uncommon.

By Aryeh Savir/TPS

Israel experienced a light earthquake on Tuesday morning after a tremor struck the island of Cyrus, in the Mediterranean Sea.

There were no reports of injuries or damage following the earthquake.

The Seismology Division of the Geological Survey of Israel reported that the earthquake was at a 5.9 magnitude at a depth of 40km, west of Cyprus.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported the same quake at a powerful magnitude of 6.5.

Cyprus lies in a secondary earthquake-prone zone, but tremors of such magnitude are uncommon.

Israelis across the country reported feeling the tremor.

Cyrus is situated on the Cyprian Arc, which forms the plate boundary between the Anatolian plate in the north and the Nubian and Sinai plates in the south.

About two weeks, ago a tremor struck the Greek island of Crete and was felt in Israel.

Israel itself experiences earthquakes from time to time. It is situated on the East African Rift, which runs through the Jordan Valley, on the border with Jordan, an area prone to earthquakes.

The last major earthquake to hit the region occurred in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured another 700.

Experts on the issue say that Israel experiences a devastating earthquake every 100 years and have warned that such a disastrous occurrence is just a question of time.