Egypt struck by 5.3 magnitude earthquake, tremors felt across Cairo and beyond

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck northeastern Egypt early on Monday, with strong shaking reported near Suez and tremors felt across Cairo.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake struck at 3:00 AM local time.

Its epicenter was about 41 kilometres north of Suez and 113 kilometres south-southeast of Port Said, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The shallow depth meant the shaking was felt across a wide area, with residents in Cairo reporting noticeable tremors.

One social media user wrote: “It’s been a while since I’ve experienced an earthquake this strong. The whole house was shaking.”

Earthquakes of this magnitude are relatively uncommon in Egypt, although the country occasionally feels tremors from seismic activity elsewhere in the region.

Egypt's deadliest modern earthquake struck near Cairo in October 1992, when a magnitude 5.8 quake killed more than 500 people and caused widespread damage.

More recently, the powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023 were also felt in parts of northern Egypt, including Alexandria.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage following Monday's earthquake.