Budapest - XINHUA
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale shook Vrancea County in eastern Romania on Tuesday, the National Institute for Earth Physics (INFP) announced.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 138 km, in mountain areas of southwestern Vrancea, some 150 km northeast of the capital city of Bucharest.
Seven earthquakes occurred since August to now in the Vrancea seismic region, with magnitudes between 2.5 and 3.4 degrees on Richter scale. Three of them took place Monday.
The strongest earthquake this year occurred on March 29 and measured 5 on Richter.
The Vrancea seismic zone, including counties of Vrancea and Buzau, is one of the most active seismic areas in Europe. It is known for its intermediate-depth (70-200 km) earthquakes, which can reach a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.8.
In March 1977, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake killed 1,600 people in Romania and damaged 8,500 buildings.