France terms 5.8-magnitude quake as 'very strong'

Ecology transition minister Christophe Bechu said it was "one of the strongest quakes registered on the mainland", France24 reported on Saturday.

AFP records show the last earthquakes of similar strength in France struck in the early 2000s.

The national network for seismic surveillance RENASS recorded the quake at 5.3 while the French Central Seismological Bureau (BCSF) put it at 5.8.

The earthquake was felt as far afield as Rennes in the north and Bordeaux in the southwest.

Earthquakes of a magnitude above five are rare in France with the last one recorded in the southeastern department of Drome in 2019.

TM/PR