M6.6 earthquake - 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen

What happened

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen on 21 Dec 1959, 11:19 UTC at a depth of 15 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is El Dibir, about 231 km away in Bari, Somalia.