Earthquake of magnitude 4.1 strikes southern Portugal

LISBON, June 28 - A 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Portugal's tourist region of the Algarve on Sunday but did not appear to cause any injuries or damage, the country's sea and atmosphere institute (IPMA) said.

The southern Lisbon region and the Azores archipelago lie in a seismically active zone marking the boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, though seismic activity has been relatively low recently.

IPMA said that the earthquake occurred at 7:59 a.m. and was felt in the cities of Lagos and Portimao, but based on available information it did not cause any personal injury or material damage.

The earthquake's epicentre was located in the Atlantic Ocean about 70 km off Cape St. Vincent, it said.

The Portuguese capital was devastated by a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1755, one of the deadliest seismic events in European history, estimated to have killed between 30,000 and 40,000 people.

The Lisbon region and southern Portugal have experienced periodic earthquakes since then, with the strongest in 1969, when a magnitude 7.9 quake killed at least 13 people and injured dozens, with its epicentre also located off Cape St. Vincent. REUTERS