Magnitude 3.8 earthquake shakes Buffalo, N.Y.

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook the area surrounding Buffalo, N.Y., the state’s second most populous city, early Monday morning. Preliminary data from the National Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that the earthquake struck around 6:15 a.m. about 1.24 miles east-northeast of West Seneca, a town located in Erie County.

The quake was felt in a radius of at least 30 miles, even reaching Niagara Falls. Thousands of people reported feeling the earthquake, according to the USGS.

The tremor was also felt in Canada, where it had a magnitude of 4.2, and was felt in southern Ontario.

No damage or injuries

New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office noted on Twitter that no damage or injuries had been reported:

Mark Poloncarz, Erie County executive, also noted that he received reports that there is no damage to the town. He noted, however that he had felt "like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed."

Strongest earthquake in New York since 1999

Earthquakes in the northeastern part of the country are commonplace, "but rarely are they felt so strongly." National Earthquake Information Center seismologist Yaareb Altaweel told NBC News that it was the strongest earthquake felt in the region in a long time:

24 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 2.5 have been recorded in the West Seneca area since 1983. However, Altaweel commented that on the Richter scale this is the largest recorded since 1999, when there was one of equal magnitude (3.8) in western New York.

Tragedy in Turkey and Syria

The Buffalo tremor came after a violent 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook border areas of Turkey and Syria early Monday morning. In these countries, hundreds of buildings were demolished and thousands of people were killed. Geological Survey officials reported that these disasters are not related to the one in New York.