Vast majority of Limassol buildings in earthquake zone

Over 70 per cent of buildings in the Limassol district are built within a seismic hazard zone, a Cypriot fintech company that records the profile of all properties in Europe said on Tuesday.

In total 53,476 or 71.4 per cent of all buildings in the Limassol district are located within seismic zone 3, the most earthquake-prone zone of the district, Nicosia based Ask WIRE reported. The data emerged after combining seismic data and the location of buildings as derived from data of the land survey department.

The seismic hazard zone 3 covers an area of 523 square kilometres or 37.5 per cent of the most developed area of the district.

Meanwhile, seismic zone 2, which is less affected by earthquakes than zone 3, covers an area of 689 square kilometres and includes 15,926 properties, or 21.3 per cent of the district’s total, the report added.

Seismic zone 1, the least exposed to seismic activity, covers 180 square kilometres and includes only 5,421 properties as it covers a small part of the northern part of the district.