A 3.4-magnitude earthquake rocked a northern region of The Netherlands Friday, one of the strongest ever to hit the area that has been plagued by quakes due to gas extraction.
The tremblor, which struck at 01:16 local time (0016 GMT) was the third-largest to hit the region of Groningen, said the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
No injuries were reported but the IMG institute, which collates local complaints, said it had received 66 reports of damage, including 12 residents saying they were in an “Acute Unsafe Situation”.
Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X, formerly Twitter, that the “shock was still being felt in Groningen.”
“It is a stark reminder of the impact that gas extraction in the province continues to have,” said Schoof.
In 2024, the Groningen Gas field, Europe’s largest, was finally shut down after decades of earthquakes that traumatised the local population.
“The earthquakes will stop when gas extraction stops, but we don’t know exactly when,” said the KNMI.
“The number of earthquakes will decrease, and so will the number of severe ones. But that could take many years, and more severe earthquakes remain possible.”
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