A Fermanagh family has been left shaken after being caught up in an earthquake which hit the Greek capital Athens last Friday, July 19.

The 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the city at around 2.15pm shook buildings with several aftershocks being felt.

The earthquake was felt strongly in the centre of Athens where people ran from buildings into the street.

Jackie McGovern and her family from Enniskillen had arrived in Athens on Wednesday, July 17 to visit daughter Ciara who was doing a Pharmacy placement at the Aghia Sofia Hospital in the city.

Jackie and Ciara were in a fifth-floor apartment while her husband and two other daughters were at the supermarket when the earthquake hit.

“We were sitting in the living room in the fifth-floor apartment. We were very high up.

“At first, I thought it was a bomb that had gone off it was so loud, and the apartment seemed to rock back and forth about three or four times.

“There were books on the table, and they went flying off the table,” explained Jackie.

“It was absolutely terrifying. I was never as scared. I have never experienced anything like this in my life before.

“We just sat on the couch. We froze looking and saying what was that. I was nearly in tears I really didn’t know what it was and then Ciara said I think we have experienced an earthquake and we were earthquake survivors.”

Jackie’s husband and two daughters returned from the supermarket which they were evacuated from with people running out into the streets with Jackie thankful none of the family were injured.

“There were no injuries we were just shook up. We were really badly shaken.

“I’ll never forget this.

“You hear about it happening to other people but never think it is going to happen to you.”

Two building were reported to have collapsed and cracks appeared in the 170-year-old parliament building.

This was the first earthquake in the Greek capital since 1999, when a magnitude six quake left 143 dead and damaged thousands of buildings.

Jackie her husband and two daughters were due back in Enniskillen yesterday (Wednesday), however Ciara still has six weeks left of her placement in Athens.