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An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale was felt in southwestern Iceland on Tuesday, with no reports of casualties or material damage to date, international news agencies said.
The Icelandic Meteorological Institute reported that the earthquake occurred in the early afternoon (2:43 pm Lisbon time) and that the epicenter of the earthquake was located near Krysuvik, about 35 kilometers south of the country’s capital, Reykjavik. .
When the earthquake hit the Icelandic capital, MP Helgi Hranf Gunnarsson was speaking and his reaction went viral. When Gunnarsson felt the ground shake, he ran to the nearest door, following earthquake safety procedures. Meanwhile, the president of the parliament, Steingrímur Jóhann Sigfússon, did not move and called on the deputies to remain calm.
The deputy’s attitude has generated criticism on social networks that accuse him of not having protected the president of the parliament. Gunnarsson responded wryly to his Twitter account, saying that “he should have quickly pulled Steingrímur J. Sigfússion out of his chair, grabbing him by the shoulders and jumping from the balcony of the Althingi”, the name given to the Icelandic parliament.
At the same time, Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir spoke at an online event organized by the US newspaper Washington Post. Katrin Jakobsdottir paused in the speech and said, “My God, an earthquake is happening.” He added: “Well, this is Iceland.”
The Icelandic authorities, for their part, warned the inhabitants of the west of the country about the possible appearance of new aftershocks.
The local scientific community has not seen an increase in volcanic activity in this region, a scenario often associated with seismic activity in Iceland.
Despite being one of the most active countries in the world in terms of seismology, most earthquakes in Iceland are small in magnitude and cause little damage.
