At the Groningen Mining Damage Institute (IMG), 191 damage reports were filed up until 5pm on Saturday after the earthquake in the village of Wirdum in Groningen. It had a magnitude of 3.1 and the aftershock at Garrelsweer had a magnitude of 1.2. Over the past five weeks, IMG has received an average of 134 reports per day. So on Saturday there will be over fifty more.
Of the damage reports, 126 come from the so-called earthquake effect zone. Within the effects area are places like Appingedam and Delfzijl as well as Wirdum and Garrelsweer. There are also reports from the city of Groningen. In addition, seven reports of a potentially dangerous situation were submitted. Security checks are carried out in those places.
The earthquake struck at 4:17 at a depth of 3 kilometers. It is the strongest earthquake this year and is one of the ten strongest earthquakes in Groningen. The Groningen Mining Damage Institute reports that the earthquake near Wirdum caused damage to homes beyond places like Bedum.
Eemsdelta Municipality opened Wirdum Town Hall for residents on Saturday. The mayor and a city councilor, among others, listened to the residents. “It’s great that the residents came to tell their story in response to last night’s massive earthquake,” the municipality reported on Twitter.
In addition, the Noorderzijlvest water council on Saturday inspected docks, pumping stations and locks in a 10-kilometer radius around Wirdum for dangerous situations. However, no significant damage was found.
