There is a 50% chance of Bulgaria experiencing a new strong aftershock in the wake of the May 22 earthquake, according to Prof. Nikolay Miloshev, head of the Geophysics Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Miloshev also said he hopes a potential new strong aftershock will not have a magnitude of more than 4 on the Richter Scale. The May 22 earthquake in Sofia and Western Bulgaria had a magnitude of 5.8-6.0.

Miloshev repeated the words of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev that “God is Bulgarian” because the nation suffered very little damage and no casualties as a result of the earthquake.

The scientist further refuted any connection whatsoever between the earthquake in Western Bulgaria and the recent earthquake of similar magnitude in Northern Italy.

“The distance between Pernik in Western Bulgaria and the Italian earthquake is about 1 000. Any such claims cannot be serious,” Miloshev said, speaking on bTV Saturday.

The professor did remind, however, that the last strong earthquake in Bulgaria before 2012 was back in 1986; with a magnitude of 5.7 it cause great damage and casualties in the northern Bulgarian town of Strazhitsa.

“The main earthquake from May 22, 2012, had the same magnitude as the one in Strazhitsa. Since then, we hadn’t had any strong earthquakes,” he said, urging peace and calm over potential earthquakes.

“The people are already sick and tired of listening about earthquakes and the people in the affected region are sick and tired of feeling them,” Miloshev stated, adding that in their desire to help the people in Western Bulgaria, the Bulgarian government and the media have exaggerated the earthquake somewhat.