Earthquake in Alpes-Maritimes

A SMALL earthquake shook up some residents in the south-east this morning, in the area of Nice.

Some locals told newspaper Nice-Matin of being woken up just after 5.00 by the brief quake, which registered 4.4 on the Richter Scale and had its epicentre near Barcelonette in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Some spoke of furniture vibrating, their beds moving or animals being disturbed in the incident, which lasted around five seconds according to witnesses.

The Bureau Central Sismologique Français (BCSF) says it was the fifth quake above 3.5 in the region over the last year and was the largest since April 2014 when there was one close to 5.

If you experienced the quake and want to help with research, you can fill out an online form at: Earthquake survey

Photo: Miniwark/ Wikimedia Commons