Turkey earthquake sends shockwaves to Armenia

Turkey earthquake sends shockwaves to Armenia

Residents in the Armenian capital Yerevan and the nearby Ararat province felt tremors Thursday afternoon from what turned out to be an earthquake in neighboring Turkey. 

Armenia’s Seismic Protection Service said it registered a magnitude 4.8 earthquake at 2:11 pm Yerevan time in the territory of Turkey. The earthquake reportedly measured 6-7 in the epicenter.

According to the Service, the hypocenter of the earthquake was 10 kilometers deep.

Tremors from quakes happening in the region were also felt in Armenia before. In some cases, like during the devastating Van earthquake of October 23, 2011, it resulted in some panic among the population.

Armenia last experienced a major earthquake in 1988 when powerful tremors in the northern regions of the country instantaneously killed about 25,000 people and left hundreds of thousands without shelter.