Earthquake rattles eastern Groningen

The eastern part of Groningen was woken up by an earthquake on Tuesday night. The earthquake happened around 10:30 p.m. and had a magnitude of 2.5 on the Richter scale, according to meteorological institute KNMI.

The epicenter was in the vicinity of Froombosch, which is located near Slochteren - where much of the Netherlands' gas extraction is done. Gas extraction is the cause of many earthquakes in the Groningen province.

2.5 magnitude earthquakes are not exceptional, but can absolutely be felt and can definitely do damage, seismologist Laslo Evers said to RTL Nieuws. This was the strongest quake so far in 2016.

The damage caused by the earthquake is unclear as of yet. This is the first earthquake in the region in five months. The previous one was in Hellum.