Earthquake near Sofia, buildings damaged but no casualties reported

No casualties were reported so far following the magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck Bulgaria in the early hours today ( May 22 ). The quake occurred at 03:00 local time, 24 km west of capital Sofia and at a depth of 9.4 km, according to the US Geological Survey, which also records two aftershocks, measuring 4.3 and 4.6 on the Richter scale. The earthquake was repotedly felt in the South of Romania as well. There are reports of damage to buildings, some structures collapsing and the evacuation of at least one building in Sofia. According to Bulgarian news sources, the chimney of the Pernik Power Plant collapsed. Pernik's St. Ivan Rilski church also suffered from the quake, with crack's appearing in the dome. A controlled release of water from the Studena Dam has begun, but the dam wall was not damaged by the quake according to the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com