Aswan Governorate in southern Egypt was hit by an earthquake early Wednesday morning. The National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics announced in a Facebook statement that the earthquake occurred at 2 am Egypt time, measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale.

The Institute explained that the earthquake was 17 kilometers northeast of Aswan, with a depth of 10 kilometers, and was felt by residents of Aswan. The National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics confirmed that there were no reports of any casualties or property damage.

Dr. Jad Al-Qadi, head of the National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, revealed that there were small and imperceptible aftershocks following the Aswan earthquake that occurred before dawn on Wednesday, east of Aswan. The National Seismic Network stations, which are part of the National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, recorded an earthquake 17 km northeast of Aswan, without any noticeable strength, and there were no reports of any casualties or property damage.

Al-Qadi assured citizens, saying that there are indeed a number of small and imperceptible aftershocks due to this earthquake, explaining that the region has known seismic activity for a long time, but it is not as dangerous as it seems. He also added that the area is safe, and there is no seismic activity that worries or scares people, and they are monitoring the situation closely.

Dr. Sherif Al-Hadi, head of the Earthquakes Department at the National Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, confirmed that the earthquake was below average, and the occurrence of aftershocks of a 4 Richter scale earthquake is possible but they will be small and imperceptible. He explained that the current earthquake is about 45 km northeast of Aswan and occurs as a result of natural movements of some of the faults or fractures in the earth’s crust east of the Nile in that area.