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The tremor was reported to have been felt strongest in downtown Sofia. Photo by Google Earth/www.emsc-csem.org
Though it ranked low on the Richter scale, the 2.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Friday threw many people into panic.
According to the Richter scale, earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.5 or less are generally not felt, but that was not the case here due to the shallow and close epicenter.
Initially many people heard rumors of an explosion, but those were quickly dispelled.
Some residents, living or working in the central districts, described the sound from the quake as similar to thunder.
"We heard this loud bang and my entire desk shook," they said.
A resident, being at the station at that time, reported the quake resembled a hit wave and thought it might be due to the passing trains.
The tremor was reported to have been felt strongest in downtown Sofia, however police departments reported no calls from residents about it.
According to Emil Botev, the seismologist on duty at the Geophysics Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the earthquake was a micro one and it could not even be put in the category of weak earthquakes with a magnitude below 3 on the Richter scale.
“The earthquake was felt immediately below the feet of the Sofia citizens because the epicenter was located slightly south-east of the capital. It was felt strongly in the eastern and central part of the city and the maximum possible degree of impact has been 3 or 4,” Botev said.
The seismologist has added that a 30 times stronger earthquake shook Sofia on November 15, 2008.
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