5.6 magnitude quake hits southwest of Africa

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck the Southwestern region of the African continent on Sunday (Local time).

"Prelim Magnitude 5.6 earthquake southwest of Africa Aug-09 23:42 UTC," tweeted the US Geological Survey (USGS) about southwest of the continent.

The quake occurred at 23:42 UTC on Sunday at a 10 km depth.

Earthquakes in the region are somewhat rare though they are frequently experienced in certain parts of the West Indies; but an earthquake of deep focus in this region is certainly a more rare occurrence, if not entirely without precedent.

( With inputs from ANI )