A mild tremor of a 3.8 magnitude on the Richter scale upsets residents of Pernik and Sofia

A secondary earth tremor of a 3.8 magnitude on the Richter scale shook the towns of Pernik and Sofia at 10.23 am today. Its epicentre was 30 km to the west of Sofia, in the area of the strong earthquake on May 22, explained the Director of the National Institute for Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography with BAS (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), Professor Nikolai Miloshev. "There is no new activation of the land masses. This is a natural way of abating. The earthquakes have reduced their frequency, but it is difficult to say whether they will hit again or there will be no more tremors", added Miloshev. The Director of the Institute stressed that the normalisation of the earth's layers happens within days or weeks. "We can state with certainty that, most likely, there will be no more stronger earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale," reckoned Professor Miloshev. According to the US Institute of Geodesy, the earthquake was of a 4.5-magnitude on the Richter scale.

In Sofia, the earthquake was felt on the higher floors. Before the earthquake, the residents of Pernik heard a rumbling. The panicked people took to the streets and gardens between the residential blocks. The tension felt by them was fuelled further by the prediction of psychics of new strong upheavals of the earth's layers between May 27 and June 15. Pernik's Mayor, Rositsa Yanakieva, announced that there were no reports of casualties and further destruction. She added that the Prosecutor's Office must reprimand itself on the predictions of psychics which created additional panic among the population.
The notification system operated effectively, stated Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. The police used megaphones to calm the citizens and inform them of the strength of the earthquake. There is no need to evacuate the residents of Pernik, reckoned the Interior Ministry. Patrolling teams were sent to the residential quarters of Pernik and neighbouring villages.

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