An earthquake felt in Macedonia late Tuesday night has caused no material damage, but concern among the people. Seismologists say it is a moderate earthquake, with aftershocks expected.
Macedonian seismologists are closely monitoring the situation and analyzing data after last night’s earthquake with an epicenter in Kosovo, which was also strongly felt in parts of Macedonia. So far, there is no information about material damage or injuries.
The telemetric seismological network of the Seismological Observatory at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje registered an earthquake with an epicenter in the territory of Kosovo, about 45 kilometers northwest of Skopje last night at 10:05 p.m. According to initial data, the earthquake had a local magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter scale.
According to information from the seismological station, the tremor was felt in Tetovo, Gostivar and the surrounding area with an intensity of 5 degrees according to the European Macroseismic Scale. In Skopje and the wider area, an intensity of 4 to 5 degrees was recorded, while in other parts of the country the earthquake was felt with an intensity of 3 to 4 degrees.
The earthquake caused anxiety among citizens, who expressed fear of new tremors. Advice is being shared on social networks on how best to react and protect citizens in the event of a new earthquake.
Professor at the Institute of Geography, Dr. IvicaMilevskiurges citizens to stay calm, emphasizing that these seismic activities are part of natural, long-term geological processes.
“Nothing terrible, the restless SharPlanina is still rising, even if only by a dozen millimeters at a time. Let it do its thing as it has been doing for millions of years, and we can rest,” Milevskisaid.
The professor points out that based on what he has done as a geo-morphologist on the tectonics of SharPlanina and the wider region, there is really no reason for fear or panic, not even in the Tetovo-Gostivar area, and even less towards Skopje and other parts of Macedonia further from the Shar region. The chances of something dangerous and risky from this earthquake (or possible subsequent ones) are almost zero, Milevski adds.
