Phones Fail to Warn as Earthquake Strikes Asenovgrad and Plovdiv

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter scale struck last night between Asenovgrad and Plovdiv. The tremor, registered at 20:24, had its epicenter 3 km northwest of Asenovgrad and 15 km southeast of Plovdiv, at a depth of 12.5 km, as reported by the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Science.

The earthquake was felt in Asenovgrad, Sadovo, Plovdiv, and even at the National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen". Despite the significant shake, no damage or injuries were reported. One aftershock of magnitude 2.4 followed, with seismologists anticipating continued tension in the earth's crust.

First-hand accounts described the intensity of the quake. Iliana from Asenovgrad mentioned how the entire house shook with waves. Sevginar Garip from Dolni Voden recalled her fear from a previous earthquake in Turkey, reacting quickly by shouting a warning to others. Neriman Osmanova from the same village noted the simultaneous quake and phone alerts.

In Plovdiv, some residents did not receive the earthquake warning on their phones due to issues with the BG-ALERT system, which failed to notify some newer mobile devices. However, the earthquake startled many, with descriptions of a loud rumbling followed by the shake.

Residents of nearby villages expressed their fears. Ani Dimitrova from Bolyartsi heard a terrifying underground noise and struggled to calm her agitated dogs. Stanislav Panayotov, the mayor of Kochevo, shared that while there was no damage, the area frequently experiences quakes ranging from 3.5 to 5 in magnitude.

The last significant earthquake in the region occurred a year ago near the village of Krumovo, with a magnitude of 4.7, causing minor damage. Currently, the situation has calmed, with Dimitar Zhelyazkov, chief expert in Crisis and Security Management for Asenovgrad municipality, noting that residents are now at ease and resuming their normal activities.