Rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake strikes large parts of western France – global

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A rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck large parts of western France on Friday night, with the BCSF seismological bureau describing it as “extremely strong” amid reports of damage to buildings.

Transitional Environment Minister Christophe Picchu said the quake was “one of the strongest on record on the mainland”.

AFP records show that recent earthquakes of similar magnitude hit France in the early 2000s.

The RENASS National Seismological Network recorded the quake at 5.3, while the French Central Bureau of Seismology (BCSF) put it at 5.8.

The prefecture said one person had minor injuries in the Deux-Sevres department and was treated immediately.

The governorate’s statement said, “A series of material damages were reported from the southwest of the constituency, with stones falling from buildings and cracks appearing in the walls.

Further south in neighboring Charente-Maritime, buildings showed cracks and a power line collapsed, leaving 1,100 homes in darkness.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Rennes in the north and Bordeaux in the southwest.

In the city of Tours, on the Loire River, law student Lea France said she was reading in her bed when she felt the tremors.

“I stood and the whole apartment was shaking…it lasted for several seconds and then stopped,” she told AFP.

“I was so scared, I live on the third floor… I thought the floor was going to collapse.”

Earthquakes greater than 5 magnitude are rare in France, with the last earthquakes recorded in the southeastern department of Drome in 2019.

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