Sweden hit by biggest earthquake in the last century

Northern Sweden was shaken on Saturday night by a 3.9 on the Richter scale magnitude earthquake; no injuries or major damage were reported

The earthquake's epicenter was registered 45 kilometers off the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, between Piteå and Skellefteå. Initially measured at 4.2 on the Richter scale by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the declared magnitude was 3.9. The earthquake struck Northern Sweden at around 10.55pm.

The Gulf of Bothnia area is known to have “relatively high seismic activity but has not experienced a quake of this size in the last 100 years." According to the latest data, no victims, injuries or significant damage were registered.

"The whole house shook but I thought it was our old washing machine going a bit mad in the basement. However, I know people who were out at the time and they said the ground vibrated beneath their feet for up to 30 seconds. That would have terrified me", journalist Paul Connolly declared.

Earthquakes are rare in Sweden. As most of them register below 3.0 in magnitude scale, usually they cannot be perceived. The last earthquake that hit Sweden happened in September 2014 and measured 4.1 on the Richter scale.

According to seismologists, the earthquake on Saturday night was the biggest in the last century. In 1904, a 5.5 quake hit the Koster islands in the area.