5.5 Magnitude Earthquake in Romania Shakes Odesa, Ukraine, No Reports of Damage

On September 16, 2024, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Romania at 17:40 Kyiv time. The tremors were felt in the city of Odesa and other regions of Ukraine, including Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Bila Tserkva.

According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the earthquake’s epicenter was located in the Vrancea region of the Carpathians, at a depth of 137 km. The Romanian National Institute for Earth Physics reports a magnitude of 5.2.

Odesa’s mayor, Hennadii Trukhanov, confirmed there were no casualties or damage in the city. In a statement on Telegram, he noted, “The earthquake was felt in Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine, including Odesa. There have been no reports of damage or injuries in the city.”

Oleh Kiper, Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, also reported that the tremors reached 2-4 on the local intensity scale in the southern regions of Odesa Region. Despite the noticeable impact, there were no reports of critical infrastructure damage or injuries.