Earthquake Measuring 5.6 Magnitude in Azerbaijan

The "Novosti" agency reported that an earthquake was recorded in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, this morning, Thursday, and it did not result in any damage or injuries. The agency added, citing its correspondent in Armenia, that the quake occurred at 08:20 local time, and the city's residents felt mild tremors that lasted for a few minutes. The European Seismological Centre announced that the quake's magnitude was 5.7 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in the Caspian Sea. Today's tremor coincided with the 35th anniversary of the largest earthquake in the history of the Soviet Union, which completely destroyed the Armenian city of Spitak within 30 seconds, measuring 10 on the Richter scale, at 11:41 on December 7, 1988. The earthquake claimed the lives of about 30,000 people, injured another 140,000, and left over half a million people homeless.