Earthquake recorded in south-east France
Noise and vibration wakes Vaucluse residents after magnitude 3 quake hits near Avignon
The epicentre of the earthquake was recorded close to the former Papal city
DaLiu/Shutterstock
Residents of Vaucluse were woken up early this morning (May 13) as a magnitude 3 earthquake struck eight kilometres west of Avignon, rattling the department but not causing any damage.
Firefighters received several callouts from worried residents after the minor quake struck at 05:30, however no injuries were reported.
The tremors were recorded in many communes of the department, including Avignon, Vedène, Morières-lès-Avignon, Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue, Caumont-sur-Durance, Sorgues and Châteaurenard.
It follows a stronger earthquake recording 4.1 in magnitude in Nice earlier this year, which was the most powerful quake in the region for 20 years.
The south-east is one of the areas of France most affected by earthquakes.
‘A frightening experience’
“We heard a loud bang that lasted a second. Everything started to vibrate, the bed moved, we felt like we were on the move. It was a frightening experience,” said one Vaucluse resident to FranceInfo.
“I was woken up by a deafening noise... the cats' water bowls were knocked over and they were scared,” said another on the Ici Vaucluse Facebook page.
Others on the page made jokes that the earthquake had caused the famous Avignon bridge (Pont St-Bénézet) to collapse.
The ruined bridge is the subject of a popular 15th century song called ‘Sur le pont d’Avignon’.
However, the bridge naturally fell into disrepair in the 18th century because it was too expensive to maintain.
