Rare earthquake strikes France

(Reuters) – An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 struck France on Friday evening , the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The earthquake’s epicenter was near a commune in the Charente-Maritime region of western France, at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.

There was no immediate information on casualties or damage from the quake.

The GFZ revised an earlier measurement of a 5.5 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake was felt across a wide area, reaching as far as Rennes in the north and Bordeaux in the southwest. In the Deux-Sevres department, one person sustained minor injuries and received immediate treatment.

The region reported instances of falling stones and cracks appearing in walls, while the neighbouring Charente-Maritime department experienced cracks in buildings and a power line outage, leaving 1,100 homes without electricity.

Residents in various cities, including Tours and Paris, described feeling the tremors.

Earthquakes above magnitude five are rare in France

The quake stands as the strongest one recorded in France since 2019 when the region near Montelimar experienced a magnitude 5.5 quake, resulting in significant damage.