A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit western Turkey and nearby Greek islands just after 2am on the morning of Tuesday June 3, with tremors felt in Rhodes 29km to the south.
The earthqauke has left one person dead and at least 69 injured, with the epicentre thought to be just outside the Turksih resort town of Marmaris at a depth of 42 miles.
There was no tsunami alert from the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) but major shakes were felt throughout the region.
Dozens of locals were take to hospital in Turkey’s Mugla for injuries sustained during the quake.
The casualty was a 14-year-old child in the resort town of Fethiye, according to reports from the Turkish interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya. The teenager was reportedly brought to the hospital but died while under care.
Earthquakes are not uncommon around the Aegean Sea, which is surrounded by major fault lines and sits on a small tectonic plate.
Just a couple of weeks ago on May 22, Greece issued a tsunami warning after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake was measured, hot on the heels of another 5.9-magnitude earthquake a week before.
Europe is actually hit by thousands of earthquakes each year, with Greece thought to have among the highest levels of seismic activity across the continent.
In light of the recent occurrences, what are Europe’s earthquake hotspots, and are any of them favourite travel destinations?
Earthquake risk
There are over 1,200 faults recorded across Europe, which can contribute to seismic activity like earthquakes. Most activity is very minor and cannot be felt, but sometimes earthquakes can have devastating effects.
Earthquake risk can be determined, according to European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk (EFEHR), by multiple factors. These include estimated ground shaking impact, population, soil conditions and vulnerability that considers loss of life and economic loss.
High earthquake risk
Examples of places with high seismic risks are mostly in urban areas, according to EFEHR and include the following cities:
Iceland is also known as an earthquake hotspot, and some sources say the country can see 500 a week. However, its relatively low population and construction characteristics means earthquake risk is limited, and many tremors are barely even noticeable compared to in other European countries. Exceptions, though, can include the capital Reykjavik and surrounding towns.
It is thought that, due to earthquakes, the four countries listed make up nearly 80 per cent of the modelled average economic loss each year, which amounts to a staggering 7 billion Euros (£5.816 billion), according to EFEHR.
But earthquakes in some of these regions have also cost thousands of lives, including in Turkey, where a catastrophic tremor back in 2023 led to the death of tens of thousands of people.
Above-average level of earthquake risk
Lower earthquake risk
Does the UK have earthquakes?
According to the British Geological Survey, up to 300 earthquakes are detected around the UK every year, but most of them are very minor.
The UK actually sits in the middle of the Eurasian tectonic plate, and experts believe the closest fault lines are too far away to pose a tsunami threat to UK shores.
