Unusually powerful M5.6 Earthquake struck on Saturday Evening near Mek'ele in Ethiopia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 11th, 2025. Last updated November 9th, 2025.

An unusually powerful Magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck under land 56 kilometer from Mek'ele in Ethiopia in the evening of Saturday October 11th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 12 million people. Another nearby country is Eritrea.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 56 kilometer (35 mi) north-east of Mek'ele in Tigray. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 11, 2025 07:18PM (Addis Ababa Time) - Oct 11, 2025 16:18 Universal Time.
Location:	56 km NE of Mek'ele, Tigray, Ethiopia. Coordinates 13°48'40"N 39°52'34"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One person killed, 9 injured, at least 5 homes destroyed and 1440 damaged, 12 buildings and 74 water wells damaged in the Berhale-Mekelle area.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 12 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 12 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 5,330 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 9 million people were exposed to shaking in Ethiopia , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded. In Eritrea , around 3.6 million people.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
123,200	II	Very weak	None
8,206,000	III	Weak	Probably none
3,558,000	IV	Light	Likely none
236,600	V	Moderate	Very light
28,330	VI	Strong	Light
5,330	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Ethiopia and Eritrea .

Mek'ele in Tigray, Ethiopia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 56 kilometer (35 mi) north-east of Mek'ele. Mek'ele experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Mek'ele is located 56 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Asmara is located 198 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Gondar is located 294 km to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
56 km (35 mi) SW from epicenter	Mek'ele Tigray, Ethiopia.	IV Light
68 km (42 mi) NW from epicenter	Ādīgrat Tigray, Ethiopia.	IV Light
119 km (74 mi) SSW from epicenter	Maych’ew Tigray, Ethiopia.	III Weak
129 km (80 mi) WNW from epicenter	Axum Tigray, Ethiopia.	III Weak
150 km (93 mi) SSW from epicenter	Korem Tigray, Ethiopia.	III Weak
165 km (103 mi) NW from epicenter	Mendefera Debub, Eritrea.	III Weak
175 km (109 mi) W from epicenter	Inda Silasē Tigray, Ethiopia.	III Weak
198 km (123 mi) NNW from epicenter	Asmara Maekel, Eritrea.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) S from epicenter	Robīt Amhara, Ethiopia.	III Weak
204 km (127 mi) NNW from epicenter	Massawa Northern Red Sea, Eritrea.
226 km (140 mi) WSW from epicenter	Debark’ Amhara, Ethiopia.
266 km (165 mi) SSE from epicenter	Dubti Āfar, Ethiopia.
267 km (166 mi) NW from epicenter	Keren Anseba, Eritrea.
285 km (177 mi) WNW from epicenter	Barentu Gash-Barka, Eritrea.
292 km (181 mi) S from epicenter	Batī Amhara, Ethiopia.
294 km (183 mi) WSW from epicenter	Gondar Amhara, Ethiopia.
295 km (183 mi) SW from epicenter	Ādīs Zemen Amhara, Ethiopia.
297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter	Debre Tabor Amhara, Ethiopia.
299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter	Desē Amhara, Ethiopia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 11 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 11 people have reported shaking in one place in Ethiopia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Mekʿelē, Tigray, Ethiopia: 11 people.

7 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 7 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 21 km (13 mi) northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.8

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 16 mins earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 4.3	4 hrs earlier Oct 11, 2025 03:07PM (Addis Ababa Time)	9 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 5.2	16 mins earlier Oct 11, 2025 07:01PM (Addis Ababa Time)	11 km (7 mi) ENE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.6	Oct 11, 2025 07:18PM (Addis Ababa Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.1	2 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 09:36PM (Addis Ababa Time)	6 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.8	2 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 09:38PM (Addis Ababa Time)	21 km (13 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.7	3 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 10:30PM (Addis Ababa Time)	6 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	5 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 12:23AM (Addis Ababa Time)	12 km (8 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.5	5 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 12:41AM (Addis Ababa Time)	6 km (4 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	8 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 02:57AM (Addis Ababa Time)	26 km (16 mi) NE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	3 days later Oct 14, 2025 04:02PM (Addis Ababa Time)	11 km (7 mi) NW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.6 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 09/11/25 00:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.