Wednesday, August 28, 2024 A 5.3 magnitude earthquake struck Portugal ‘s Lisbon and the surrounding region on Monday, August 26, causing widespread concern among residents and travelers. The tremor, which occurred at 5:11 a.
m., was felt across Lisbon, Setúbal, Sines, Porto, parts of Spain, and even Morocco. Despite the widespread panic, no injuries or significant damage were reported.
However, a new earthquake has sparked additional warnings and raised serious concerns about the safety and preparedness of the region. On Tuesday, August 27, Portuguese newspapers sounded the alarm with headlines such as “Earthquake Warns of Dangers.” The latest earthquake, with an epicenter located 60 kilometers off the coast of Sines in the Alentejo region, has highlighted significant flaws in the country’s preparedness for such events.
The earthquake did not result in injuries, but it caused considerable panic among the population, who were not adequately warned by authorities. The website of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), the country’s reference point for seismic information, crashed shortly after the earthquake, further exacerbating the communication failures. The recent seismic activity has underscored a critical issue: the lack of preparedness in Lisbon, a city situated in a high-risk earthquake zone.
Local media emphasized that the earthquake served not as a mere test but as a “serious warning” about the vulnerabilities of the region. In th.