Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Strikes near Egypt's Suez

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake jolted eastern Egypt early Monday, shaking a wide area and prompting authorities to activate emergency response plans. The tremors were felt as far as El-Arish, near Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip, and woke journalists in Cairo.

The quake struck at 3:00 a.m. local time, approximately 40 kilometers north of the city of Suez. Egypt's National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics reported the magnitude as 5.5, revising an earlier estimate of 5.2. The US Geological Survey provided a preliminary reading of 5.0 for the shallow tremor.

In response, Egypt's health minister, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, ordered emergency response plans to be activated nationwide and directed ambulance services to maintain maximum preparedness. Despite the significant shaking, there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, according to the health ministry and the Egyptian Red Crescent.

The Egyptian Red Crescent advised residents to avoid old and dilapidated buildings, which are common in some of Cairo's older neighborhoods. While intense earthquakes are uncommon in Egypt, the country experienced its deadliest quake in modern history in October 1992, a 5.8-magnitude event that killed over 500 people and displaced thousands in the capital.