Earthquake strikes Southwestern France; no casualties reported

Witnesses said the quake, which struck at 08:45 local time (0645 GMT), caused buildings to shake, but there was no immediate reports of important damage.

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale rattled the southwestern French city of La Rochelle on Thursday. This is the strongest quake in mainland France since April 2014, the Central French Seismic Office said.

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale rattled the southwestern French city of La Rochelle on Thursday. This is the strongest quake in mainland France since April 2014, the Central French Seismic Office said. (AFP Photo)

Local press reported witnesses saying the quake, which struck at 0845 local time (0645 GMT), had caused buildings to shake, but there was no immediate reports of important damage.

Though smaller tremors are frequent in mainland France, strong earthquakes are rare.