Minor Earthquake Jolts Several Parts of Lebanon

A minor earthquake was felt Wednesday afternoon across several Lebanese regions, mainly Mount Lebanon and Beirut.

The state-run Bhannes National Center for Geophysical Research said the epicenter of the quake was the Chouf-Deir al-Qamar area in Mount Lebanon and that it measured 4.0 on the Richter scale.

The tremor occurred at 4:24 pm, the Center said.

It was felt in Chouf, Sidon, Beirut and parts of the North, according to media reports.

According to the Center, over 600 earthquakes with magnitudes below 3 degrees hit Lebanon each year.

In 1956, a 6 degrees on the Richter scale earthquake struck Lebanon, killing 136 people and destroying 6,000 houses.