Strong dangerous earthquake near Sofia, Bulgaria - Summary update May 25 - 1 indirect fatality

Last update: May 25, 2012 at 8:41 pm by By

Earthquake overview : Strong earthquake in Bulgaria. Preliminary Magnitude 5.6 and shallow. Minor damage to buildings.
Tell us when you think you have felt this earthquake.
Bulgaria-only earthquake list

Keep this page open to read more details when they become available
-

Summary Update 25/05 - 19:55 UTC
- 59 year old Lidiya Gerasimova from Kuystendil is the only (indirect) fatality of the earthquake. Mrs. Gerasimova died of a heart attack seconds after the earthquake struck.
- This week’s earthquake has been the strongest in its history since 1858, i.e. in 154 years, historical records indicate. In 1858 the Bulgarian capital was only a provincial town in the Ottoman Empire. This earthquake was however a lot stronger than the present one with a Magnitude of 6.6 to 7.0. At the time it is believed that 80% of the housing was damaged. The minarets of 18 of the 24 mosques did collapse. 4 people lost their life during this earthquake. (source courtesy novinite.com)
- 7 areas within Bulgaria can generate earthquake beyond M6.5. Read this interesting article here
- The Kandilli Observatory (Turkey) has reported a 6.4 Magnitude (Ml or Richter Magnitude scale) for the Bulgarian earthquake. USGS has reported a Mw5.6 (Moment Magnitude scale).

Roof damage repair - Image courtesy and copyright 24chasa.bg

Summary Update 24/05 - 22:03 UTC
- PM Borisov had a meeting today with the person in charge of the Bulgarian seismological agency, Prof. Nokolay Miloshev. Mr. Miloshev said to the PM that the chance on a stronger shock is most unlikely and that the aftershocks will be gradually getting weaker. Mr. Miloshev said wkat we have been saying over and over again all over the world, only in a few cases stronger shocks occur after a mainshock. Nobody is able to predict. Science is making progress but we are still far away from a prediction when and how strong the next quake will be.
- The Bulgarian police will start patrolling damaged or heavily hit areas immediately after an earthquake.
- More than 300 aftershocks have been recorded so far, the vast majority could not be felt by people. Since the mainshock 4 aftershocks were in the Magnitude 4 range.
- The inhabitants of Pernik, the city closest to the epicenter, have felt 31 aftershocks, mostly aftershocks measuring 2.5 or stronger.
- People of Pernik are continuing to clean up their homes and collect rubble left behind from the tremors.
- Each Bulgarian family affected by the earthquake will receive a one-time aid allowance of BGN 325 (166 Euro), from the government, Prime Minister Borisov announced.

An ER reader has posted this very interesting information in our comments section :
With regards to the report I would like to state that the Seismic Design codes in Bulgaria were first introduced in the forties and then upgraded in 1987 as consequence of the disastrous earthquake in Strazhica.
The requirements were upped to impose stability up to M9 according to EMS scale (or M7.5 on Richter scale) and recently Eurocode 8 was adopted with even stronger requirements. ( http://bit.ly/JnCZO1 )
So the Codes were there for decades, most of Pernik was built post WWII. There are older buildings of course but most of the houses in Pernik post 60s would be classic RC concrete foundations, columns and beams in a monolithic frame and brickwork as infill between the frame members. Most of the houses were built private and as such not much expense should be expected on the structure (now, there are concerns on new builds but that’s different story). Main concern should be the panel prefabbed block of flats like Teva and Iztok. Lack of maintenance could have been the risk but post event we can see that no critical damage (collapse) is evident. Most of the pictures I have seen was from older houses where typical cracks have formed.
With regards to the geology the Pernik basin is topped with 1.3-1.7 km of sediments ( http://bit.ly/JyB91y )

Update - 22:03 UTC : strong aftershock
A strong M 4.3 aftershock occurred at 21:59 UTC (00:59 local time). Same epicenter area. This strong aftershock happened 18 minutes after the strong Italy aftershock. We do not expect additional damage because of this aftershock but it must surely irritate people a lot. Again when they were sleeping. Some may have slept through it, but a lot will have been jumped out of their bed. The overall opnion of people who also felt the first shaking are now reporting light shaking. A lot of the people will be scared to return to their beds as earthquakes are unpredictable.

Update - 17:21 UTC - aftershocks, Bulgarian building code
- EMSC has listed 3 aftershocks so far today. At 13:57 - M2.8, 14:41 - M3.5 and 16:31 - M2.9 (local times). The second M3.5 earthquake was surely felt well in the Pernik area.
- Authorities are proud to say that the stringent earthquake resistant building code is the real reason for only limited damage (few collapses). The Ferrara earthquake had a similar Magnitude but was far more destructive. Both countries have adopted the EC8 EU building code, but the type of soil and wave propagation may have been completely different.

Summary Update 23/05 - 10:01 UTC - aftershocks, EU aid, inspections, repair funding
- No more M+3 aftershocks since yesterday 20:07 local time
- The authorities have postponed the emergency state in the greater Pernik area until noon today, to finalize the inspection of a lot of buildings and infrastructure.
- Help from Europe ? Probably not, as the condition to get European aid has been set to a damage of at least 0.6 of BNP
- Funds to repair damaged properties will run into millions of €. The same funds will be used for temporary shelters, packaged mails etc. The money will partly come from state funds and partly from a to be organized fund-raising campaign.
- The authorities are claiming that repair work has started to a lot of damaged buildings and infrastructure
- The prime attention of the authorities will go to the repair of schools and hospitals

Summary Update 13:33 UTC
- The people living at the greater Pernik area have to deal with another problem, heavy rain. Some roofs are seriously damaged and it rains inside the houses.
- No massive destruction but a lot of broken glass, brick pieces, mortar to be cleaned
- The overall damage is told to be superficial, but still widespread in the direct epicenter area and in Pernik
- A lot of people who were afraid to re-enter their houses have spend the night in their cars. There are still people doing this at this moment.
- 50% of the people in Pernik are reported to have no drinking water
- The chimney of a thermal power plant collapsed in Pernik
- Bulgaria is one of the European countries who has adopted the European EC8 earthquake resistant building code. New buildings will be surely protected against very strong earthquakes, but older buildings will always be problematic
- 60 aftershocks have been recorded since the mainshock at 00:00 UTC. The majority of these aftershocks are too weak to be felt by people.

Earthquake-Report.com wishes to thank the people who shared their experience with this specialized earthquake site. In doing this you are part of an Open Source Press Agency that informs other people in the country minutes after it happens. These reports may not be underestimated and are as important as the Earthquake data itself.

Update 08:53 UTC : Deputy Prime Minister, Power, Police
- The Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister has stated that there are no casualties, no serious injuries and no significant national infrastructure damage
- The Deputy Prime Minister said that the situation is totally under control
- Power cuts were experienced in Radomir, a town West of Pernik, but the power has been restored now
- Police patrols have been dispatched all over the country to avoid looting while people where out of their houses out of fear for aftershocks

Summary 07:00 UTC :
- 30 people were slightly injured and all have been released from hospital
- 1 house was destroyed in Rudartski. Only slight damage occurred to other buildings like fallen plaster
- Damage assessments are currently been undertaken.
- This was about as damaging as the 1965 earthquake.

Update 06:36 UTC : From the CATDAT Damaging Earthquakes Database, the following major damaging earthquakes have occurred close to this epicenter.

1555, 1641, 1818, 1848 - major damage near this epicentre.
1858 - multiple earthquakes caused major damage in Sofia with 4 deaths.
1904 - multiple large earthquakes in Gabrovo region.
Late 1938 - Damaged houses in Sofia, and overturned chimneys. From a mild earthquake.
According to Associated Press reports, an earthquake caused damage to several houses in Transylvania on August 30 1941
6 April 1942 - A Rome broadcast heard in London, England, reported that a temblor caused damage at the Bulgarian town of Tutrakan. One hundred houses were said to have been destroyed, but there was no report of casualties. BSSA:
28 January 1965 - Bulgaria; slight damage (intensity VII) in the towns of Rodomir and Pernik and in the villages of Kladnitsa and Roudartzi in the mountainous massif about 30 km south-west of Sofia (Grigorova and Rijikova, 1965)
Late 1977 saw damage in the region of Velingrad from a M5.5 earthquake.

Update 06:19 UTC :

30 people have required medical treatment however, no other casualties have been seen. The children’s ward in Pernik hospital was evacuated.

Victims who came to the hospital are numbered around 30, most of which were bruised and lacerated by fallen plaster or objects. These were not serious injuries.

The Pernik fault on which the earthquake occurred has not been activated for 100 years.

Update 03:19 UTC :
One of our Sofia readers reports : The Bulgarian networks report for a demolished house in Rudartsi but no casualties except for some people from Sofia and Pernik suffering from high blood pressure from the stress.

Update 03:08 UTC :
- The last local reports we could see was that 1 house was collapsed to the west of Pernik. A lot of people have been treated for a nervous breakdown, but we have no word on injuries based on the shaking
- A dam in the earthquake area has not been damaged
- We can advise our Bulgarian friends to read the following good article on how to behave during and after an earthquake
- About 30 residents of the city required medical treatment, mainly because of problems with blood pressure after suffering a stress.

Update 02:48 UTC :
- We expect better reports from the 15 km radius of the epicenter in about an hour when daylight will disclose more details. So far we haven’t heard anything from the villages to the west of Pernik and information out of Pernik, a city with 81,000 inhabitants, is extremely limited.

Update 02:24 UTC :
- Another strong aftershock just occurred in the earthquake zone

An Earthquake-Report.com reader is commenting : Keeps shaking, it\’s scary. The first time the walls shook for around 20 secs, bottles, books, frames falling. It increased before easing off, there were two more shakes right away, and two more in an hour and half and in about two hours. Online advice says it\’s better to stay at home, next to an inner wall, a sturdy furniture or under a bed/table, away from mirrors, windows, kitchen and electricity devices. I am alone with the kid, it\’s scary. I feel a series of small aftershocks.

Update 02:24 UTC :
- Entire walls are reported to have collapsed in the Western city of Pernik as a result of the earthquake.
- EMSC has reported a lot of aftershocks so far. 2 of them measured 4.7 and 4.6. Not dangerous for normal constructions but they can make people crazy after an earthquake.
- The Sofia area is not the most dangerous in Bulgaria but nevertheless has been labeled as an area with a potential Magnitude of 7.

Landscape near Pernik - Image courtesy Dennyl

Update 02:05 UTC :
- The city of Pernik has a lot of apartment buildings
- The confirmed damage so far is broken windows, fallen chimneys, cracks in walls etc. We are now 2 hours after the mainshock and this is good news. If the damage should have been widespread, the news must certainly have arrived already in Sofia. The Magnitude is dangerous but not as dangerous as initially reported.
- It will take a few hours more until daylight before a better picture can be made from the damage

Update 01:58 UTC :
- Our I Have felt It system can hardly follow with the many experienced we receive from within Balgaria and from the neighboring countries
- Aftershocks in the -5 range are continuing to strike in the epicenter area. Unless houses became unstable, we do expect no serious damage from these aftershocks.
- Our attention goes to the direct epicenter area to the North West of Pernik. The situation is still very chaotic at the moment.
- Local press in Pernil is saying that the epicenter is in between Pernik and Rudartsi. Other people are claiming the epicenter to be in Radomir.

Update 01:41 UTC :
- EMSC has located the earthquake’s epicenter almost below Meshtitsa. The mayor of Pernik was merely concerned about Batanovtsi from were she has received damage reports.
- A bad sign for eventual damage is the merely soft soil in this area. A lot of farming fields means that the wave propagation can be powerful. More or less the equivalent of the Italian earthquake.

Update 01:38 UTC :
- USGS has decreased his Magnitude from 5.8 to 5.6, which is a big difference in energy. Depth remains unchanged.
- EMSC maintains the M5.7 Magnitude at a depth of 10 km.
- So far we haven’t heard from Pernil, which is a bif city very close to the epicenter
- A lot of people are reporting cracks in the walls
- The Mayor of Pernik Rositsa Yanakieva have gone to town Batanovtsi, which is located near Pernik, since there is evidence that has damaged buildings.

Update 01:24 UTC :
- As could be expected, a lot of aftershocks are hampering the area
- There is information about damaged walls, chimneys, plaster, broken windows, etc. Based on our experience, this is a bad sign and will lead to a lot more damage.
- Earthquake-Report.com also fears for the strength of a lot of houses and buildings. They are mostly build out of brick , which if it not reinforced for earthquakes, collapses easily.

Update 01:17 UTC :
- There is no immediate evidence that the power would have been gone.
- The earthquake was followed almost immediately by two aftershocks of almost equal strength.
- The civil protection and fire brigade departments across Bulgaria have been alerted about minor damages to walls, ceilings, and windows. ER : based on our experience, this is only the beginning. We expect more damage as the time passes.

Update 01:12 UTC : Please read the many I Have Felt reports below.

Update 01:11 UTC : The earthquake was well felt in the neighboring countries from Macedonia, Serbia and Greece.

Update 01:10 UTC : “It was terrible, everything shook. All cabinets - open, dropped my toothpaste in the bathroom,” complained a resident of the metropolitan district “Ilinden”.

Update 01:10 UTC : The first earthquake measured M5.8. The depth is still unsure. The shaking went on for about 10 seconds. The mainshock was followed by a M4.7 aftershock.

Update 01:03 UTC : WAPMERR, the theoretical Damage estimate engine expects from 200 to 1500 injured people and from 0 to 200 fatalities. These numbers are often exaggerated, but are based on historic earthquakes and preliminary earthquak date

Update 00:58 UTC : We should be LIVE again. the server had to be rebooted as it was brought down by too many visitors.

Shaking map courtesy USGS

Update 00:46 UTC : The people from Sofia, Pernik and all the surrounding towns are gathering in the streets out of fear for aftershocks.
At Earthquake-Report.com we believe that damage will be inevitable.

Update 00:46 UTC : Our Experience Database is unfortunately down, we are sorry for this. Cause : too high demand.

Update 00:45 UTC : Following the theoretical calculations from USGS, 95,000 people will have felt a very strong shaking (MMI VII). MMI VII means for earthquake-report.com a potential danger for damage.
932,000 people will have felt a strong shaking.

Update 00:37 UTC : The earthquake happened 10km from Pernik. The nearest populated places are: Studena (18km), Radomir (14km), Rudartsi (18km), Tsurkva (14km), Rayko Daskalovo (17km). The closest civilian airport is Sofia / Vrazhdebna (32km).

Update 00:32 UTC : Our site has currently a lot of problems to cope with demand

Update 00:27 UTC : Our readers are reporting a moderate to strong shaking in Sofia

Update 00:24 UTC : USGS is reporting a preliminary Magnitude of 5.8 at a depth of 9.1 km.
Earthquake-Report.com considers this earthquake as Very Dangerous
The earthquake struck at only 23 km from Sofia

We are currently gathering information about this earthquake.
The epicenter should be located very close to Pernik.

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 5.6 ?
UTC Time : 00:00
Local time at epicenter :
Depth (Hypocenter) : 10 km ?
Geo-location(s) :
23 km (14 miles) W (274°) from SOFIA, Bulgaria
116 km (72 miles) SE (128°) from Nis, Yugoslavia

Links to important maps
USGS Did You Feel It Map
Google satellite map showing the epicenter and the surrounding area
Historic earthquakes map
Seismic hazard map
Shaking map
Scientific parameters
Human impact map

Click here for examples of our “earthquake notifications (button below)”

SRC Location UTC Date/time M D INFORMATION
EMSC Bulgaria May 25 07:08 AM 2.8 2.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Pernik - It doesn't stops for 4 days. Shake after shake... Unpleasant :-
  • симеоново софия бълга - (това земетресение сякаш смени посоката на люлеене този път беше юг север
    		•
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 23 21:59 PM 4.4 5.0 MAP I Felt It
  • СИМЕОНОВО БЪЛГАРИЯ - ПО МОИ НАЛЮДЕНИЯ И СРАВНЕНИЯ С ДРУГИ ЗЕМЕТРЕСЕНИЯ разликата беше в посоката на раздклащане обикновенно разклащането е посока изток-запад но този път беше като натрисане на едно място с много малка амплитуда но много бързо сякаш нещо се издигаше или нещо потъваше
  • Sofia - On 7th floor, felt it
  • Bulgaria - 8th floor, no people outside.
  • Sofia, Lozenets - back and forth moving while sitting at my computer desk for about 3-5 seconds
  • Bulgaria - 13th floor...scary again!!!
  • Sofia - 1st floor, felt it
  • Sofia - Second floor
  • Bulgaria, Sofia - Light shaking indicated
  • Sofia - Fuc*ing scary again... Like the second from 20.05.2012
  • BULGARIA - Felt it on the 3rd floor in Sofia, Oboriste. don't feel happy about it .....don't know if I would be able to fell asleep. My child is sleeping .....that's important.
  • Sofiy - I felt it (8th floor, 8blok, studentski grad)
  • Sofia, Geo Milev - 7th floor, few seconds
  • Sofia, Hilton HOtel 9th floor - It shaked a bit, enough to get out of bed and hear door rumbling in their frames.
  • Sofia, Geo Milev - Light shaking indicated
  • Sofia Center - Light shaking, about 20 sec, woke me up, though...
  • Pirogov - Enough to get out of bed and check around..
  • Sofia - weak one but felt it sofia 5th floor.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - Lying in bed, house shook for about 5 seconds, weaker than the one 2 nights ago.
  • София, Изток - Тук в офиса резтресе доста силно на до метро станция Жульо Кюри
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - Just one shake..still scary
  • Radomir - We felt it, it was a bit strong than the other aftershocks. Hope so there's no other stronger than this
  • sofia - i fealt light shaking and would like to know if i ought to expect further quakes to come
  • Hadzhi Dimitar - Light shaking indicated
  • Sofia Boyana - Ужасссс, много силно се усети тук
  • Sofia, Sv. Troica - по описание съвпада с MMI IV, но не съм light sleeper, и съм будна.
  • Sofia - J'étais au lit, je me suis réveillée avec une sensation assez pareille à celle d'il y a un jour, mais de durée plus courte.
  • Sofia - few seconds like 01:10 24.05, little shaking was over before i was goin to bedroom for the kids
  • Dragalevtzi,Sofia - It was the same like at 5,13 o'clock on 22,May.It is depressing.How many aftershocks we have to expect?I don't know to laugh or to cry.
  • Slatina, Geo Milev - There was a rocking of the building more like up and down rather then side to side.
  • Sofia - 2 sec
  • BULGARIA - On 2nd floor, I felt it for a few seconds
  • Sofia, Liulin - Sudden jolt, enough to wake me up
  • Sofia,BG - Second floor in a house. Scary, i wake up immediatly, my wife is frightened is it sign for something bigger. I'd never expirienced something like this, it's not like previous earthquakes(1987 was almost funny shake, feel like drunk man:) ) - those from last days were agressive and scary...
  • Sofia , Emil Markov - Short but strong shaking , wake me up , I have bad feeling many after shocks to come ...
  • Sofia Slatina - Dogs went crazy a couple of moments before the quake. Light quake short but still noticable.
  • Sofia - scary
  • Sofia/Doctor s garden - Quick shake. Most difficult part is for the nerves.
  • Sofia - Felt it. A lot of times in ten-15 minutes… Everybody down in the hall at the Kempinski hotel in Sofia
  • Sofia - Felt it in Boyana film studios. Very quick shake...much shorter that the one of two nights ago
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - Felt it on the first floor. It felt like a single strong hit on the building then I heard the glass on the windows making a trembling sound. It wasn't so strong as the 5.8 2 days ago at 3 a.m. That one was a real nightmare, never been so scared in my life.
  • Sofia - Got used with it
  • Sofia - 8 floor, not as strong as 22nd may but scary.
  • Sofia, Madrid Blvd - Short. Stong but very short shake from south to north. /Chandeliers did not have enough time to become pendulums as in the quake from the 22. 05. 2012./
  • Pernik - По-скоро беше като бързо потъване. Все едно нещо се взриви под земята. Приличаше на разклащането което се получаваше преди години когато взривяваха в откритите рудници над Перник
  • Sofia center - Mon lit et ma chambre se sont secoues, pendant une dizaines de minutes mis ca a fini rapidement.
    		•
    USGS Bulgaria May 23 21:59 PM 4.5 12.1 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 23 21:59 PM 4.3 10.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 23 13:31 PM 3.0 8.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 23 11:41 AM 3.3 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 23 10:57 AM 3.2 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 20:52 PM 2.7 2.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia Vitosha - It's been shaking for the whole night now, several cracks in the basement. Really hope this maredream is going to end soon.
  • Sofia Buxton - felt like my bed was in a train. they say there will be more shock the whole week. hope all of them will be under 3!
    		•
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 19:52 PM 2.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia, - In bed, nothing shaked in the room, but it was long felt
    		•
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 17:07 PM 3.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia, Lulin - 8th floor weak shaking
  • Sofia - feels scary... is it going to stop any time soon?
  • Lulin - 3rd floor, same here
  • Sofia Vitosha - felt this one again, nothing during all day and now it restarts
    		•
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 22 17:07 PM 4.0 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 16:26 PM 3.1 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 04:29 AM 3.2 2.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia Buxton - It's been the whole night: scary as it feels like it'll never stop shaking...
    		•
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 04:09 AM 3.3 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 03:23 AM 3.3 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 22 02:13 AM 4.3 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    USGS Bulgaria May 22 02:13 AM 4.3 9.3 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 02:13 AM 4.2 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 02:11 AM 3.0 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 01:30 AM 4.7 10.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia - I was just again in bed and shake alot for 5-10 seconds i get my clothes on now..
  • Sofia - Scary aftershock
  • Skopje, Macedonia - Felt the aftershock too. It didn't last as much as the first one, but it was strong.
  • Sofia - Uff, i was about sleeping and again a short but strong shake...
  • Sofia center - 5:13 Another scary aftershock
  • Sofia, Radisson Blu - I felt three consequent shakes - the middle one was the strongest and lasted for longest (was sleepy and did not check time)
  • Marikostinovo, Sofiya, Bulgaria - It was awful!Everything is shaking! Generally I do not feel earthquakes when I sleep, but this time it was scary!
    		•
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 22 01:30 AM 4.7 10.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia - On 8th floor, felt it
  • Prishtina - Felt the 4.8 aftershock, not as much as the main one but still noticable indeed.
  • Pirot - I can't sleep. First one woke me up, and when i feel the second one now i don't know what to do, go to bad or out.
  • Sofia - Big aftershock. Nearly as strong as the first.
  • sofia - 4.40 in the morning still aftershocks
  • Zaječar, Serbia - After the shakes (three in few minutes) at 2am, this was the fourth and last I felt last night.
    		•
    USGS Bulgaria May 22 01:30 AM 4.6 8.5 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:56 AM 3.0 13.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia - I m on the first floor of my hotel and felt one moderate shock which lasted about 10-15 sec. A second lighter moderate shock immediatly after it. Till 4am local time very small aftershocks. Looks like its over now
  • Sofia center - Scary aftershock around 4:31 AM local. Humming noise
  • Sofia - Aftershake in Sofia Bitosha Blvd cca at 4:30 am
    		•
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:49 AM 2.8 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:49 AM 2.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 22 00:43 AM 3.9 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:43 AM 3.8 10.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:23 AM 3.3 1.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:15 AM 2.7 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria May 22 00:00 AM 5.7 10.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Sofia, BG - 2-3 shakes lasting approx. 30 secs.
  • Sofia - Moderate shaking indicated
  • Sofia Obleia - It was long about 10 seconds wake me off the bed and i jump.
  • Sofia - Something very wierd happened
  • Sofia - 2 moderate shakes followed by a weaker shake over 30 seconds
  • Sofia - Lozenets - I jumped out of bed, i didn't know if i should go outside or not. It was very scary.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - 3 AM, playing ukulele, singing Tupac, building starts shaking pretty strongly.
  • Sofia - It was a strong quake, about 10 seconds lasting with consecutive shakes, i thought it was 4.5 but here i see it is about 5.5. I was frihgtened ind jumped from the bed immediately.
  • Sofia - on the top floors it's scary as all the china started getting out of the cabinets and falling on the floor and braking
  • Sofia - I woke up very frustrated.. that was a strong earthquake
  • Sofia - Sofia. Strong enough shake. 12th floor. No damages
  • Sofia - 20-30 sec. No damages
  • Sofia, Iavorov - The walls in my room, wich is the foremost room on the second story of the house were visibly going sideways alond with the same feeling in the floor... Scaaary!
  • Sofia - After shake 3 mins later
  • sofia - À l'hôtel à Sofia, 3h du matin, reveille par grandes secousses. Médias muet
  • Sofia - Walls shook for around 20 secs, the force gradually increasing before easing off. light fixtures swinging as if they had been forcefully pushed by a human, definite lateral movement of our building was felt. Oddly, while one might expect all teh car alarms in the street to go off...none did. Interesting experience.
  • Sofia - Woke me up, jumped out of bed, should we go outside?
  • sofia - Sofia 5 floor
  • Sofia, downtown - strong shaking, objects falling from the shelves
  • Sofia - Слаба работа, ама наплаши съседите де.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - It lasted quite long, everything was shaking even on the first floor. The electricity was down for some time, some people were gathering outside. We're having aftershocks now, but they aren't strong. Curiously, it was almost at the same time as the one in Italy on the 20th, and also, of similar magnitude.
  • Софиа - First shake was quite heavy, second one less but still scary
  • Sofia, Hilton Hotel, 9th floor - After shake at 4:35 am...
  • sofia - una terza scossa alle 4.33 ora locale
  • Sofia, Iavorov - Same here, at least a 4.5, but very brief about 2 seconds tops.
  • sofia - 2 scosse poi una piu forte che ha durato 20 sec. in tutto, alle 02.30, poi una lieve alle 04.20 circa
  • Sofia - first and major at 2.59 in Sofia - 20 seconds later another after shock and then another about 30 minutes later. the first one moved the bed and nearly threw me off - I am on the ground floor in a very solid building - the bed moved back and I was in place - no damage here but most people left the building as soon as posslible. last aftershock I felt was 4.33 am local
  • Sofia - Keeps shaking, it's scary. The first time the walls shook for around 20 secs, bottles, books, frames falling. It increased before easing off, there were two more shakes right away, and two more in an hour and half and in about two hours. Online advice says it's better to stay at home, next to an inner wall, a sturdy furniture or under a bed/table, away from mirrors, windows, kitchen and electricity devices. I am alone with the kid, it's scary. I feel a series of small aftershocks.
  • Sofia - It woke me up.
  • Sofia city center - I woke up from the violent shaking! Everyone at home is shocked. Can't go back to sleep. Afraid to go out yet.
  • Sofia - A Sofia plusieurs tremblement dont les trois premiers très forts. Mon chien est encore agite ce qui me fait penser qu il y a encore des secousses à venir. Pendant plus d une heure aucune information n était disponible
  • Sofia - I was in my car waiting for the green and my car has sport suspecions which are harder thank most of the cars out there but i could feel the car shaking like hell. Thanks God no one was injured or killed.
  • Sofia - Girlfriend and me were doing it, and we noticed that we are taking the floor apart, and bending the walls. But then we noticed it was an earthquake!!!
  • Sofia business park - Felt it clearly at 3 am local time, and still feel the ground moving a bit every now and then (its now almost 6 am local time)
  • Sofia - The Bulgarian networks report for a demolished house in Rudartsi but no casualties except for some people from Sofia and Pernik suffering from high blood pressure from the stress.
  • Sofia center - First experience. Felt it strong, woke up like someone where shaking my bed, while a subway train passed the floor below, noisy rumble.
  • Sofia - Falling objects, interrupted power supply, initial shock 4.1, secondary - 5.8, over 20 aftershocks some as much as 4.3 on the rihter scale
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - When i woke up the flat was like going forward and backward. I was very scared and i thinked it was a IX. Igot out of the flat quickly. I stayed in the car for about 3 hours.
  • Sofia, Lulin - Very strong shaking. The wardrobe doors opens and woven door open, but no damages.
  • Bulgaria - Yes, I felt it... I woke up and everything was jolting so strong
  • Sofia - It was the most powerful earthquake I ever felt. Not overly scary but pretty powerful. Many people go down to the streets. I'm at my girlfriends place on the 5th floor and it felt intense, though noting fall down. My mother told me that on the 11th floor where we live, many books and other things have fall on the ground.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - Fell off the bed when it hit and part of wardrobe hit me.
  • Sofia - Scary, as it was the n-th consecutive shake... Feels as it's not going to stop. No one knows when and if it's going to stop...
  • Pazardzhik - We are living on the 12th floor, was 3:00 oclock when it happened. I felt myself like i was in an old elevator, it was scary. No demage, but the neighborhood was in panic.
  • Sofia,Bulgaria - .. I couldn't sleep cause of these goddamn earthquakes .. woke me up 4 times on the fifth I couldn't even sleep anymore .. Was kind of annoying for me.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - My house is at less than 15 km from the epicentre of the earthquake and I felt all the three big earthquakes - the first at 3:02 - 5.8, the second at 4:10 - 4.7 and the third one at about 5 a.m. Everything was shaking very strongly, a lot of chimneys in my area felt, a lot of cracks appeared in the walls of the houses. Even one of the walls of my school, ehich is located in the centre of Sofia almost fell.
  • Bulgaria, Sofia - I did not feel the first earthquakes, due to the fact that I have been indeed sleeping, but at around 02:30 am, when the shaking was the most violent. Me and my mother sprang out of bed, alarmed, the cat was hiding. When I looked out of the window, I could see that all of my neighbours have turned on their lights as well. Afterwards we went back to sleep. I almost doozed off half an hour later when I felt the next quake. Didn't get any sleep after all.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - It was pretty strong shake.
  • Sofia,Bulgaria - I was in Iztok neibourghood. In 3:00 there was a very strong earthquake and I went on the door's frame.
  • Sofia - It was horrible .We spent all night outdoors .Aftershiokes didn't stop all night long.
  • Sofia, BG - Slept like a baby... didn't even knock over my ipad (in the upright position (on the 13th floor of a Sofia hotel)
  • Sofia - My apartment is on the 5th floor and around 3am It start to shake a lot. It was really scary and I couldnt get off my bed. After this i felt another 2 strong earthquakes. The strongest was 5,9. Scary...still we have some aftershocks.
  • Sofia - This was between moderate and strong shaking, very rapid one, but it felt like two waves.(around 3 am) The bad thing is that I had such a nightmare the previous night with bad scenario and earth collapsing ((4:44am) also I had very strong desire not to stay in my home anymore. The desire still stays and I am planing this night to go to a friends house instead to be in our 8 floors building.Greets!:)
  • Sofia - Както си спях усетих, че всичко се клати... Първо ми се стори, че сънувам, но после разбрах, че е наистина... Докато се разбудя и стана то спря... Явно си беше стабилно след като успя да ме събуди, а аз спя кат пън :D След това се чу някакво бумтене отвън в посока Перник... След няколк�
  • Sofia Bulgaria - It was indeed a strong quake and a scary experience, the strongest I've experienced in my lifetime.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - About 10min before the earthquake began I heard the sound of air coming out, then a rhythmic sound as if some small ball kept bouncing on the ground outside for about 10min, then it started with a very loud sound and really strong shaking for over a minute.. the house seemed elastic.
  • Sofia, Lozenec - I've been woken up by strong shaking waves which lasted at least 15 to 20 sek. First I thought I was dreaming but soon I realised it is a strong earth quake. Immediately after the first hit there was an other strong shake. Prеtty scared by that point we left the building about 30 sec after the second wave. Pure luck that there is only material damage. I can be certain that this was the stronger earth quake I ever remember.
  • Sofia - It was first that shakes on 2 sides simultaneosly
  • Sofia - Felt three earthquakes at 3.01 h, 4.31 h, 5.14 h. The first was very shaking, the furniture creaked a terrible noise. There was an earthquake, after a few seconds followed by second quake. Many people took to the street and stood up in the morning.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - I met my dad in the hallway to the front door, said he loves me much, has feared as well as me ... very uncomfortable when something like that found you sleepy !
  • Sofia - No Comment! Strong shaking with loud noise!
  • Sofia Center - IL ETAIT ENTRE 3H05 ET 3H10, D'UN COUP CA S'EST MIT A TREMBLER SERIEUSEMENT PENDANT 5 OU 6 SECONDES. LA TON INSTINCT DE SURVIE ENTRE JEU ET FORCEMENT, TU SAUTES DU LIT COMME UN RESSORT. JE ME SUIS RENDU COMPTE COMME NOUS SOMMES IMPUISSANTS FACE A LA FORCE DE LA NATURE. APRES CA, UNE PETITE PLUIE DOUCE A RECOUVERT LA MEME REGION PENDANT QUELQUES MINUTES, SUITE A QUOI UNE AUTRE SECOUSSE, LEGEREMENT MOINS IMPORTANTE A SUIVI, AINSI QU'UNE 3EME ENCORE PLUS LEGERE. LES IMMEUBLES A SOFIA SONT VIEUX ET
  • Sofia - First we heard the thunder and then the whole building start shaking. Thank God it was e very new condominium and 4 floors only. On the table in the dining room there was a bottle of drinking water. It was my seismic tool - at first the water was splashing and then it become static. And again splashing. We with my wife are visiting Sofia from Florida, but we have pretty good experience with the big earthquake in Romania in 1977. So, we went out in the near park for about an hour. Then we went ba
  • Sofia - The 3 strongest quakes felt really shaking. Especially the first one. Each time when we decided to go back to sleep it started again. But I have a strong house = no damages.
  • Marikostinovo, Sofiya, Bulgaria - In Bulgaria it was 4.7! Was 5.8!
  • Sofia - I actually slept through the whole thing and noticed nothing
  • Sofia Business Park - A few minutes ago started a series of small shakes, all desks and monitors in the office felt trembling... hope it doesn't get worse like tonight...
  • Pernik, Bulgaria - It was the least plesant experience in my life....
  • Sofia city - Our cat crawled unusually into our bed 30 minutes before the eathquate stroke, obviously trying to wake us up. Then at 3:00 a.m. the apt building starteds shaking severely accompanied by a deep groaning sound. The It was just terrific.
  • Sofia - It was so scared...my cat was shaking all night.. I live with my boyfriend on the 5-th floor in the center in Sofia.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - I woke up and everything was shaking...books started falling on the ground, it was hard to stand on your feet, there was a horrible sound, like cracking floors..awful..
  • Sofia - It was terrible! I was so afraid! All people comes out of the buildings in 3 a.m.! We didn't return to our bed anymore! But finally -no damages around me and my family in Sofia!
  • Bulgaria,Sofia,bankia - i woke up 4 seconds after it started it was verry scary so i layd in my bed for 1 hour then got to the tv to watch what happens.no sign on the TV until 5 o'clock LoL.
  • Sofia Bulgaria, centre - I was on holiday to meet my girlfriend, and this happens, first time in my life i experience something like this, and so heavy, news told me it was a 5.9, first floor walls were flowing like water, at first i thought a friend of mine fell out of bed, so i asked to check up on him but my GF was already under the doorpost, strangely i was very happy i could be there for her, several shocks made it feel as if i was standing on a boat when we went outside, making me nausius, what an experience.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - At 3:00am, the 3rd floor, in the center of Sofia - I heard a thundering noise and after that my room starts shaking. At 4:30 the same thundering and shaking but lighter. At 5:20 the same thing... I was so scared, I thought it could happen like in Italy..
  • Sofia -- pstation{BG} - Strong enough shaking, no damages. Just repaired one X-box , fucker ruined my FH war ;p
  • sofia - Dianabad - Was awoken at 0255 and felt that the apartment walls were about to implode. Ornaments and two picture frames on the floor and everything shaking violently.....Lasted several minutes with two smaller after shocks lasting several seconds, 10 and 23 minutes after the initial quake. A further aftershock was felt at 5 am
  • Sofia, BG - Waking up at 3am with M6 Richter was totally breath-stopping!
  • Boyana, Sofia - scary one
  • Sofia - rien à dire , c'était effrayant. La secousse était terreble au quinzieme étage . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Sofia - Strong and long. Unlike previous reports I can tell you there was No panic in Sofia. Surely people did get scared but complied with what needs to be done. No chaos whatsoever. No damage and casualties. Minor cracks on very old buildings and chimneys. Yes we did adopt the EC requirements but even before that since the 70's the construction requirements have been raised significantly and several times during the years. We HAVE to say the very low damages and no casualties IS the result of good eng
  • Sofia, Vitosha mountain - Apartment still light shaking, several cracks in the basement. Not sure when this will end or if these "illegally" built buildings will resist.
  • Sofia, Knyazhewo - I would say quite strong, woke me up, I believe I saw the walls "dancing" and, looking at them from my bed, I was wondering if they won't collapse. I leave on a ground floor.
  • Sofia, Borovo - I was with my girlfriend and when it woke me up I was like "what the ?!" I had no clue what to do and what's going on during the first few seconds. The building was shaking on 8th floor, I was like in shock as I never felt an earthqueake so strong before. I thought the building is going to start collapsing. My girlfriend was just looking up and said "calm down, it's just an earthquake" (?!)..
  • Sofia, Lullin - Het was een hele vreemde ervaring, alles bewoog en schudde zoiets nog nooit meegemaakt.
  • Sofia - At first time I thought I had a nightmare...
  • Pernik - Впечатленията ми са от 7-мия етаж на 32 годишна стандартна Пернишка панелка. Явно още в просъница съм започнал да крещя но на 5-тата секунда се разсъних и осъзнах че не сънувам. Всичко не се люлеше а се тресеше ужасно , молех се да спира но около 15-тата секунда само намаля и след
  • Sofia - It was scary !
  • Sofia - I woke up by a noise and strong shaking which lasted for 15-20 sec. I had never felt such a quake before! Scary. It stopped and then, another shaking. We ran downstairs.
    		•
    USGS Bulgaria May 22 00:00 AM 5.6 9.4 MAP I Felt It
  • Plovdiv City - Was a big Earthquake. I never felt like this before.
  • Ardino, Bulgaria - I got scared
  • Vratsa, Bulgaria - Light to moderate shaking. Woke me up. No damage.
  • Kyustendil - Lasted about 10 or so seconds, had a much stronger aftershock 3 minutes later which lasted for a second.
  • Pleven - We were at home and we felt it quiete strong for a time of ca.10 seconds. Situation at the moment is quite.
  • Rousse,Bulgaria - I am on 9th floor and i was awaken by shake 3-4 seconds.
  • Bulgaria - Хисаря беше много силно
  • Kardzhali, Bulgaria - Long time shaking, felt it on 7th floor, felt like around 4. Scary stuff
  • Vidin - That was a strong earthquake
  • Bulgaria - I was on my chair. And my head get socked ;x
  • Plovdiv - wow
  • Пловдив - Sorry for bringing down your server, but the bulgarian media were asleep like always.
  • Vidin - Wake me up around 3.30. I felt it very clear
  • Plovdiv - I was asleep, then wake up an run out a flat
  • Bulgaria - not cool
  • Костинброд - It was interesting experience, but it was not so powerful. Im 15-20km form the center but not a single obgect in the room move (only shake). I think peoples are more scared then actualy threatened.
  • Gotse Delchev, South West Bulgaria - Horrible sounds and big shaking woke me up, dogs barking, I could hear the house crack, but Thank you, God, no major damage. Everybidy woke up, I was shaking, my heart sank. Couldn't go back to sleep at all.
  • Plovdiv - Local time was 3AM, woke up because of the shaking. Couldn't feel the after-shakes though.
  • kustendil - Didn't wake up until 10am local time
  • Serdika - i was worry about my girlfriend as she living in Serdika and she entered with her family into their car , Bloody hell i hate this earthquake
  • Pirdop, Bulgaria - 3am lokal time - awakened by mattress moving horizontally, heard a noise od something falling down outside in the central square of town
  • Plovdiv - I woke up because my bed was shaked and the whole hotel makes strange noises.
  • BRESTOVITSA (ob.Plovdiv) - J'habite à Brestovitza ; 18 kms de Plovdiv, 135 km environ de Sofia.A 3 heures du matin J'ai été réveillé en sursaut , croyant que quelqu'un secouait mon lit, la porte de ma chambre a remué ; je me suis levé d'un bond affolé ,croyant que quelqu'un était chez moi ,et j'ai aussitôt pensé à une secousse sismique , j'ai entendu les chiens des voisins aboyer mais ça n'a duré que quelques secondes ; c'est tres stressant comme impression , je le saurait pour la prochaine fois, La Bulgarie
  • Veliko Turnovo - I`ts freak me out.....
  • Parvomay - And we feel it in Parvomay from 230 km from the centre of the earthquake
  • Ruse, Bulgaria - Woke me up at 3:03 am local time. My stores were shaking and I felt moving on 7th floor.
  • Plovdiv - my bad skaking im in 6 floor
  • Smolyan Bulgaria - I could not believeit, our hotel was moving side to side, i was extremely frightened, i was awake at the time, it felt like a strong night on the town consumed by alcohol but i was sober, it laster about 20 seconds and i was stunned, it took a few minutes for my brain to react, this was no pleasant experience, i am afraid to sleep now.
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - I woke and I was scaried what will happen next
  • Bulgaria, Pernik - At 3AM local time i was laying and watching movie and suddenly I heard a noise and everything started shaking. Its duration was about 30 seconds.
  • BULGARIA - Sofia, Benkovski was shaking...
  • Varna - I couldn't sleep that early morning on May 22 and I was burrowing into my computer till almost 3.00 a.m. I went out on my terrace to smoke before going to bed when I heard a cracking. I couldn't explain myself the reason, but when I came back into the room I heard the rythmic tinkling of my Chinese pendant. Then I saw all pendants in my house shaking vigorously in rythm and I understood. I have seen it, 500 km from the epicenter, without feeling it!
    		•
    GEOFON Bulgaria May 22 00:00 AM 5.6 10.0 MAP I Felt It
  • Nis, Serbia - It felted in southeastern Serbia also!
  • Edirne Turkey - it shaked lightly for 10 seconds.
  • Serbia - I felt it in Serbia about 2:00 local time
  • Mladost 4, Sofia, Bulgaria - it was about 3 am - I woke up , I live on the 10th floor, everything was shaking.
  • Skopje - i heard from skopje
  • Thessaloniki, Greece - 3rd earthquake in three weeks in this area (thessaloniki greece-this last one in bulgaria was felt by myself as were the other 2 over the last 2 weeks-a sign of things to come?? i hope not
  • Serbia, Nish - It lasted about 10 sec I would say
  • Nis Serbia - Dosta dugo je ljuljalo (oko 15-20 sekundi)
  • Thessaloniki, Greece - It was short, but it felt like it hit my brain! I always freak out from earthquakes!
  • Hisarya - was strongly 3:00
  • Bucharest - Felt it in Bucharest. Not very strong but my furniture started making noises..
  • Skopje, MKD - My desk was shaking for 4 seconds. Not surprized to be honest.
  • İstanbul Turkey - it was ok
  • Blagoevgrad - Was a big Earthquake. I felt it in about 2.40-2.50 local time.
  • Pristina - Light shaking in Pristina just 10 minutes ago.
  • Turkey - I felt it in Istanbul.
  • Kragujevac - Weak shaking
  • Tirana - I heart it
  • Kumanovo - Scary...don't like living on the top floor:
  • Skopje - (It was a pretty nice shake in Skopje!
  • Serbia, Vlasotince - I felt the shaking,my monitor fell off
  • Skopje, Macedonia - Felt it in Skopje, around 02:05 AM local time. Lasted about 10-15 seconds.
  • Bornova, Izmir - living on 8th floor and hardly noticed
  • Bucharest, Romania - I felt it here in Bucharest, Romania
  • Skopje, Macedonia - Felt in Skopje,Macedonia - Moderate shaking.
  • Eastern Sofiya - Windows sounded weird and the entire building was shaking. Some of the more stable furniture was almost moving on the floor...slightly... very slightly.
  • Edirne, Turkey - durmucak sandım la yeminle
  • Byala,Bulgaria - It was felt around 3am, strong enough to wake up us. Lasting for aproximatelly 10 sec.
  • Nis - I swung in bed xD
  • Prishtine, Kosovo - It is felt in Prishtina, capital of Kosovo, as well ... scary thing ...
  • Thessaloniki - I felt it in Thessaloniki wake as off the bed!and the neighbors came out to the balcony.
  • Prishtina, Kosovo - 5th floor, sitting on a chair, it was smooth for about 3/4sec
  • Niš, Serbia - I'm on the 10th floor of the building in Nis
  • Pristina - Felt it quite well here in Pristina, living high up in a highrise building. Thought it was here as things were moving around.
  • Thessalonika, Greece - I WAS GOING SOME WORK IN ON MY iMAC WHEN I START FEELING THE
  • Thessaloniki Greece - I was sleeping and waked up from shaking
  • Thessaloniki, Greece - I felt it in Thessaloniki, 240Km away from the epicentre. I could not believe it happened so far away.
  • Drama, greece - It was scary earthquake. 3:00 exactly, cuboard doors opened etc, no damage, people woke up though all over town.
  • Thessaloniki, Greece - I felt it in Thessaloniki, 240Km away from the epicentre. I could not believe it happened so far away.
  • Bucharest - Light shaking, about 10-15 seconds long, no damage at all
  • Bucharest, Romania - On the six floor apartment, in my armchair... after about 10 seconds, I went into the kitchen - to make sure is a earthquake - and watched for another 30 seconds how water moves in a bowl, found in the sink... like me :)
  • Macedonia - It was strog...i am alone home don't know what to do...it was a very good shake...hope it we wont get another like that!!! S
  • Xanthi, Greece - Playing Dota 2 when I got killed in lane and felt an weak trembling. I was Doomed :
  • Xanthi, Greece - (Playing Dota 2 when I got killed in lane and felt an weak trembling. I was Doomed :
  • Xanthi, Greece - (Playing Dota 2 when I got killed in lane and felt an weak trembling. I was Doomed :
  • Kumanovo - (Schrikken geblazen .. Heftig trillingen in het huis 3x zware schokken gevoelt .. Nu maar veilig gaan slapen ;)
  • Drama, Greece - I woke around 3am to find the bed shaking quite alot - then realised it must be an earthquake. It lasted around 10 seconds. No damages - just heard alot of rattling from things on shelves. About 20 seconds after it stopped I think I felt the bed shake lightly a couple of times from the aftershock. This seems to be happening here / close to here every couple of years, as I have lived in Drama 8 years now and this is the 4th earthquake since I've been here.
  • Xanthi - I live in Greece, Xanthi and I felt it very strongly, I imagine in Sofia it would be extremely stronger. I live in a 5 floor building and it was shaken alltogether.
  • Thessaloniki, Cent. Macedonia, Greece - My wife was awake, but the earthquake wake me up , too
  • Drama, Greece - We felt it, it was scary, the lamps on the ceiling kept moving for 4 minutes.
  • Nis, Serbia - Strong shake at 0212 and again at 0217 in nis serbia. scary!!
  • Belgrade, Serbia - Slight rocking, E to W.
  • Zaječar, Serbia - Felt it 3 times in few minutes, the second one was the strongest.
  • Bucharest - It had a moderate intensity in Bucharest, also.
  • Boyana, Sofia - Long, strong to severe shaking,we could here the earth move up until 7am local time
  • Sofia, Bulgaria - It was really scary - everything was shaking and some things fell on the floor. We all ran outside...
  • Sofia, Krasna Poliana - It was realy scry. The windows were groaning, the parquet was groaning, the wardrobe doors opend. We live on the 5th floor and it was awful. My grandparents live on the 13th floor and they couldnt go out... I hope it wont happen again.
    		•
    EMSC Bulgaria May 10 22:40 PM 2.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Apr 08 15:27 PM 2.5 1.0 MAP I Felt It
    GEOFON Bulgaria Mar 30 20:48 PM 4.5 10.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 30 20:48 PM 4.1 3.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 22 14:18 PM 2.8 5.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 17 08:45 AM 2.3 23.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 15 05:57 AM 2.1 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 15 03:09 AM 2.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Mar 01 20:31 PM 2.5 4.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 29 15:01 PM 2.7 10.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 12 23:12 PM 2.4 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 12 23:08 PM 2.5 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 09 22:37 PM 3.1 4.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 09 22:34 PM 3.5 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 09 05:32 AM 2.2 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Feb 01 05:53 AM 2.9 2.0 MAP I Felt It
    EMSC Bulgaria Jan 24 05:25 AM 3.2 2.0 MAP I Felt It

    a

    QuakeSOS+     and QuakeSOS free are iPhone applications developed by Armand Vervaeck, the founder of Earthquake Report. The Application simplifies immediate group communication to friends and family members (with your exact GPS location) and is feeding the users with Earthquake Report news. The 0.99 US$ QuakeSOS+ version will support the activities of SOS Earthquakes.

    a

    Earthquake-Report.com headlines on twitter
    @OnlyQuakeNews : Get all the headlines of our earthquake-report.com articles + regular updates on ongoing events
    @QuakeSOS : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of USGS earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in the America’s and the Pacific Ocean sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was created for our QuakeSOS and QuakeSOS+ iPhone applications
    @ShakingEarth : earthquake-report.com news + automatic earthquake notifications of EMSC earthquakes of M 4.0 or higher with emphasis to earthquakes in European and Asian / Middle East sphere (4 and up) and a lot of the rest of the world (5 and up). This account was originally created to stimulate our Facebook account
    @QuakeMaps : earthquake-report.com news with mapping notifications of ALL earthquakes M 3.0 and higher from all over the world via EMSC and USGS. This account was created for our http://www.quake-maps.com website

    SHARE YOUR EARTHQUAKE EXPERIENCE WITH US

    Enter Email (not compulsory)
    Your current location
    MMI II (Very weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt by persons at rest, on upper floors or favorably placed.
    MMI III (Weak shaking) ?
    People :
    Felt indoors; hanging objects may swing, vibration similar to passing of light trucks, duration may be estimated, may not be recognized as an earthquake.
    MMI IV (Light shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally noticed indoors but not outside. Light sleepers may be awakened. Vibration may be likened to the passing of heavy traffic, or to the jolt of a heavy object falling or striking the building.
    Fittings :
    Doors and windows rattle. Glassware and crockery rattle. Liquids in open vessels may be slightly disturbed. Standing motorcars may rock.
    Structures :
    Walls and frames of buildings, and partitions and suspended ceilings in commercial buildings, may be heard to creak.
    MMI V (Moderate shaking) ?
    People :
    Generally felt outside, and by almost everyone indoors. Most sleepers awakened. A few people alarmed.
    Fittings :
    Small unstable objects are displaced or upset. Some glassware and crockery may be broken. Hanging pictures knock against the wall. Open doors may swing. Cupboard doors secured by magnetic catches may open. Pendulum clocks stop, start, or change rate.
    Structures :
    Some large display windows cracked. A few earthenware toilet fixtures cracked.
    MMI VI (Strong shaking) ?
    People Felt by all. People and animals alarmed. Many run outside. Difficulty experienced in walking steadily.
    Fittings :
    Objects fall from shelves. Pictures fall from walls. Some furniture moved on smooth floors, some unsecured free-standing fireplaces moved. Glassware and crockery broken. Very unstable furniture overturned. Small church and school bells ring. Appliances move on bench or table tops. Filing cabinets or "easy glide" drawers may open (or shut).
    Structures :
    Slight damage to buildings with low standard. Some stucco or cement plaster falls. Large display windows broken. Damage to a few weak domestic chimneys, some may fall.
    Environment :
    Trees and bushes shake, or are heard to rustle. Loose material may be dislodged from sloping ground, e.g. existing slides, talus slopes, shingle slides.
    MMI VII (Very strong shaking) ?
    People
    General alarm. Difficulty experienced in standing. Noticed by motorcar drivers who may stop.
    Fittings :
    Large bells ring. Furniture moves on smooth floors, may move on carpeted floors. Substantial damage to fragile contents of buildings.
    Structures :
    Unreinforced stone and brick walls cracked. Low standard buildings cracked with some minor masonry falls. A few instances of damage to buildings of ordinary workmanship. Unbraced parapets, unbraced brick gables, and architectural ornaments fall. Roofing tiles, especially ridge tiles may be dislodged. Many unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, often falling from roof-line. Water tanks Type I burst. A few instances of damage to brick veneers and plaster or cement-based linings. Unrestrained water cylinders (hot-water cylinders) may move and leak. Some common windows cracked. Suspended ceilings damaged.
    Environment :
    Water made turbid by stirred up mud. Small slides such as falls of sand and gravel banks, and small rock-falls from steep slopes and cuttings. Instances of settlement of unconsolidated or wet, or weak soils. Some fine cracks appear in sloping ground. A few instances of liquefaction (i.e. small water and sand ejections).
    MMI VIII (Severe shaking) ?
    People Alarm may approach panic. Steering of motorcars greatly affected. Structures : Low standard buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. ordinary workmanship buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged in some cases. A few instances of damage to buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes. Monuments and pre-1976 elevated tanks and factory stacks twisted or brought down. Some pre-1965 infill masonry panels damaged. A few post-1980 brick veneers damaged. Decayed timber piles of houses damaged. Houses not secured to foundations may move. Most unreinforced domestic chimneys damaged, some below roof-line, many brought down. Environment : Cracks appear on steep slopes and in wet ground. Small to moderate slides in roadside cuttings and unsupported excavations. Small water and sand ejections and localized lateral spreading adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    MMI IX (Violent shaking) ?
    Structures Many low standard buildings destroyed. Ordinary workmanship buildings heavily damaged, some collapse. Reinforced masonry or concrete buildings damaged, some with partial collapse. Buildings and bridges designed and built to resist earthquakes damaged in some cases, some with flexible frames seriously damaged. Damage or permanent distortion to some buildings and bridges, designed and built to normal use standards. Houses not secured to foundations shifted off. Brick veneers fall and expose frames. Environment : Cracking of ground conspicuous. Landsliding general on steep slopes. Liquefaction effects intensified and more widespread, with large lateral spreading and flow sliding adjacent to streams, canals, lakes, etc.
    Write your experience and/or additional text here (max. 500 characters)

    Facebook comments:

    Comments

    1. Кирил says:
      May 23, 2012 at 11:34 pm

      Hi, with regards to the report I would like to state that the Seismic Design codes in Bulgaria were first introduced in the forties and then upgraded in 1987 as consequence of the disastrous earthquake in Strazhica.
      The requirements were upped to impose stability up to M9 according to EMS scale (or M7.5 on Richter scale) and recently Eurocode 8 was adopted with even stronger requirements. ( http://bit.ly/JnCZO1 )
      So the Codes were there for decades, most of Pernik was built post WWII. There are older buildings of course but most of the houses in Pernik post 60s would be classic RC concrete foundations, columns and beams in a monolithic frame and brickwork as infill between the frame members. Most of the houses were built private and as such not much expense should be expected on the structure (now, there are concerns on new builds but that’s different story). Main concern should be the panel prefabbed block of flats like Teva and Iztok. Lack of maintenance could have been the risk but post event we can see that no critical damage (collapse) is evident. Most of the pictures I have seen was from older houses where typical cracks have formed.
      With regards to the geology the Pernik basin is topped with 1.3-1.7 km of sediments ( http://bit.ly/JyB91y )

      Reply
    2. AmandaMary says:
      May 22, 2012 at 8:35 pm

      I was working on my computer when our hotel started moving side to side, my body had not been consumed with illicit drugs or alcohol, I had never experienced an earthquake before so my brain was confused for a moment the rocking and shaking lasted only 30 seconds but seemed like hours, my husband explained what was happening and went to check everyone was safe in the hotel (they were) we are located in Smolyan Bulgaria. It was most unpleasant.

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Speak Your Mind

    *