Early Monday morning, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake rattled eastern Egypt, centered approximately 40 kilometres north of Suez city. The tremor occurred at 3:00 am local time (0000 GMT) and was widely felt, including in Cairo and as far north as El-Arish near the Gaza border.
Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics initially estimated the quake at magnitude 5.2 before revising it to 5.5. Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 5.0, adjusting downward from an earlier figure.
In response, Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar activated nationwide emergency protocols and instructed ambulance services to maintain heightened readiness. Despite the strong shaking, no casualties or structural damages have been reported so far.
The Egyptian Red Crescent advised the public to avoid old and unstable buildings, particularly in some of Cairo's working-class districts where such structures are common.
Strong earthquakes are rare in Egypt. The deadliest in recent memory occurred in October 1992, when a magnitude 5.8 quake struck Cairo, causing over 500 deaths and displacing thousands.
