A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck near the Egyptian city of Suez early on Monday, with tremors rattling neighbouring countries.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage following the quake, which hit shortly after 3am Cairo time and was felt across parts of Egypt, the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) said.
The NRIAG initially reported the magnitude of the earthquake as 5.2, then raised it to 5.5, and later to 5.6. The epicentre was 38km north of Suez, at a depth of 10km, it said.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the earthquake at magnitude 5.4, also at a 10km depth, while the US Geological Survey put it at 5.0.
The NRIAG said it had not received any reports of casualties or of damage to property, although residents reported that the shaking continued for several seconds and was strong enough to wake much of the capital.
The Health Ministry said it activated an emergency response plan and convened the central crisis and emergency operations room in the New Administrative Capital near Cairo.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre received more than 3,190 reports from people who felt the earthquake. Its intensity map showed shaking across Cairo, the Nile Delta, Alexandria and Port Said, extending up to 400km from the epicentre.
The tremors were also felt beyond Egypt, with reports of shaking from the Gaza Strip, Jordan and Lebanon, highlighting the reach of seismic waves across the eastern Mediterranean.
The Egyptian Red Crescent activated its emergency response plan in governorates where the quake was felt, urging residents to avoid buildings showing signs of structural damage and to rely on official updates as authorities assessed the situation.
The Red Crescent later said its operations centre had received several reports of minor structural damage.
A balcony collapsed at a home in Suez governorate, but response teams found no injuries at the scene.
In Cairo, Red Crescent teams responded to reports of a partial collapse of a three-storey building in the Rod El Farag district. They said the building was damaged in the quake, but no casualties or deaths were recorded. The three families living in the property were taken to relatives' homes. Authorities were instructed to erect barriers to protect passers-by and neighbouring buildings.
In Sharqia governorate, Civil Defence teams evacuated a residential building in the Ghasham area after it was found to be leaning due to the tremor.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation, with no reports of significant disruption in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Jordan’s official Petra news agency said a separate 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck northern Iraq on Sunday. It quoted the Iraqi Seismic Observatory as saying monitoring stations recorded the quake east of Kirkuk governorate, with no casualties or material damage reported.
