A strong earthquake was felt in several departments in western France.
- Several departments in western France were shaken by a powerful earthquake.
- The earthquake occurred between La Rochelle and Niort and was felt as far away as Bordeaux, Rennes and even Paris.
- The buildings suffered significant damage and emergency services treated one person with a slight injury.
A slight ripple shook the building at 18:38 p.m., plunging our small editorial office into silence. Rennes was not the only city affected. According to Internet users' testimonies, the earthquake was also felt in Nantes, Angers and Bordeaux.
The earthquake was particularly powerful in the vicinity of Niort . According to the National Seismic Monitoring Network ( Renass ), the epicenter was located a few kilometers from the capital of Deux-Sèvres, in the commune of Cram-Chaban (Charente-Maritime), with a magnitude between 5,3 and 5,8.
The map from the French Central Seismological Bureau of the earthquake which shook the west of France (felt intensity based on testimonies).
- Philippe Berry (@ptiberry) June 16, 2023
Magnitude between 5.3 (Renass) and 5.8 (BCSF), with epicenter halfway between La Rochette and Niort. pic.twitter.com/TEcr2Ky7m9
“The map from the French Central Seismological Bureau of the earthquake which shook the west of France (felt intensity based on testimonies). Magnitude between 5.3 (Renass) and 5.8 (BCSF), with epicenter halfway between La Rochette and Niort. » – Philippe Berry
A 5,8 magnitude earthquake hits the La Rochelle-Niort region, buildings are damaged and residents evacuated
In Deux-Sèvres, one person sustained minor injuries and was treated by emergency services, according to a report from the prefecture, which also noted material damage to buildings, mainly cracks and falling rocks. In the Charente-Maritime department , no casualties were reported. However, more than a thousand homes were without power in the early evening due to a damaged high-voltage power line.
In the town of La Laigne (Charente-Maritime), near the epicenter, the church steeple has significant cracks, and a dozen houses have been deemed uninhabitable due to cracks in their load-bearing walls, firefighters reported. Building experts from neighboring departments have been called in to continue nighttime inspections of the houses.
Major tremors shake Charente-Maritime and Deux-Sèvres; Injuries are reported and power outages occur
The Charente-Maritime firefighters, faced with a large number of calls, asked the public to contact emergency services only in the event of an emergency. Renass also stressed the need to confirm the event by an analyst. Niort called on its residents not to panic after the earthquake. Pieces of stone fell into the city. The police established a security perimeter.
On social networks, residents of western France quickly expressed their surprise. A resident of Rennes testifies:
“My daughter screamed because the windows were shaking. I was on the sofa, it was really moving around a lot. »
A resident of the Rennes suburbs recounts: “I was listening to music with headphones when I noticed my TV shaking. I could feel my buttocks vibrating too. I threw down my headphones and prayed that everything would go back to normal. It lasted a few seconds.” Another person adds: “The house creaked all over.”
An earthquake in La Rochelle-Niort: Among the biggest earthquakes ever recorded in mainland France
This earthquake ranks among the ten strongest recorded in metropolitan France in recent decades. On average, an earthquake of this magnitude occurs every ten years in metropolitan France, according to Jérôme Vergne , a seismologist at the Earth and Environment Institute in Strasbourg. He points out that the last earthquake of a similar magnitude in the region dates back to 1972 on the island of Oléron , making this a significant event for the greater western region.
The largest earthquake recorded in mainland France occurred in 1909 near the town of Lambesc ( Bouches-du-Rhône ) with a magnitude of 6,2 on the Richter scale. It caused the death of 46 people and injured 250.
La Rochelle, Niort, Bordeaux, Limoges, Rennes… A vast part of western France was shaken on Friday June 16 by an earthquake that occurred late in the afternoon near the limit between Charente-Maritime and the Two Sevres.
The earthquake occurred at 18:38 p.m. near the towns of Surgères (Charente-Maritime) and Mauzé-sur-le-Mignon (Deux-Sèvres), halfway between La Rochelle and Niort, near the Marais Poitevin. According to the National Seismic Monitoring Network (Renass) and the French Central Seismological Bureau (BCSF), its magnitude rises from 5,3 to 5,8 on the Richter scale. The Minister of Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu, describes it as “one of the strongest earthquakes recorded in metropolitan France”.
Earthquake in the west of France: Much material damage declared
Assessment of the damage after the 5,8 magnitude earthquake that struck western France pic.twitter.com/Hudq0zsZi9
- BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 17, 2023
The earthquake caused a slight injury in Deux-Sèvres, according to the prefecture, and “certain buildings may have been affected (falling rocks, cracks)”. In Niort, a chimney crashed in the city center without causing any casualties, reports Ouest-France. In Charente-Maritime, the prefecture reports that 1 homes are without electricity due to a damaged high voltage line. Extensive material damage, mainly cracks, was reported.
In the town of La Laigne (Charente-Maritime), near the epicenter, the church steeple has significant cracks, and a dozen houses have been deemed "uninhabitable" due to cracks in their load-bearing walls, according to an AFP correspondent . Firefighters in Charente-Maritime, who received a large number of calls, asked residents to contact emergency services only in case of an emergency.
A magnitude 5 aftershock in the night
During the night from Friday to Saturday, a magnitude 5 aftershock was felt in Deux-Sèvres. The prefecture declared early Saturday morning, in a press release, that a tremor with a magnitude of 5 was felt at 4:27 a.m. in the same area. Firefighters are mobilized to carry out reconnaissance, respond to calls and check the condition of buildings, particularly those which were weakened during the first tremor on Friday evening.
