Shallow quakes cause part of church belfry to crumple

Part of the belfry of a historical church near Nicosia fell down after two relatively weak quakes jolted the southern parts of Cyprus early on Thursday.

The main quake, measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale, hit shortly after 3 at dawn(0000 GMT) and it was followed by a weaker one two hours later.

The epicenter was placed on earth near the southeastern city of Larnaca, at a depth of just 10 kilometers.

"Despite being a relatively weak tremor it was felt intensely by many people in immediate region of Larnaca and also in the capital Nicosia, as its depth was so shallow," an official of the Geological Survey Department told the state television.

He also said that it caused large cracks on the belfry of a historical byzantine church in a village south of Nicosia and also cracks in the walls of the building.

"Stones from the belfry fell on the ground and other became precariously loose," he added.

Cyprus is prone to quakes. One of the worst quakes hit western Cyprus 63 years ago, flattening some mountain villages, causing extensive damage to about 150 other villages and killing 40 people.