Tunisia records 88 earthquakes in 2026
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business News
Illustrative image · khezez · Licence PexelsTunisia has recorded 88 earthquakes since January 2026, including 67 on its territory, compared with 75 throughout 2025. A magnitude-3.5 earthquake occurred off Tazarka, in Nabeul governorate, while the north-west remains the most exposed area, according to Houssen Hamdi of the National Institute of Meteorology.
Tunisia has recorded 88 earthquakes since the beginning of 2026, including 67 on its territory, compared with 75 throughout 2025, Houssen Hamdi, head of the geophysics research and development department at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), said on Thursday on Express FM.
The earthquake recorded off Tazarka, in Nabeul governorate, measured 3.5 on the Richter scale. It occurred at sea, about 19 kilometres south-east of the town, and was described as moderate by Houssen Hamdi.
Seismic activity is concentrated mainly in the north-west, particularly in Béja, Jendouba and near the Algerian border. The Gulf of Hammamet, Gafsa and Sidi Bouzid are also affected, while Tataouine and Médenine record fewer earthquakes, according to the INM official.
Houssen Hamdi said the risk generally remained moderate in Tunisia, while recalling that a magnitude above 4 could damage old buildings. He cited the series of earthquakes that occurred between February and March 2025 in Meknassy, in Sidi Bouzid governorate, as well as the historic earthquake in Utique in AD 412.
