By Bejay Browne 15 April 2015 Cyprus Mail LIFE has returned to normal in Paphos after an earthquake on Wednesday measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale caused disruption and left residents and visitors reeling, and businesses clearing up the mess. A number of supermarkets, shops and other outlets suffered damage to goods as they were flung off shelves during the earthquake. It took staff a number of hours to clear up. Kyriakos Kolokasides, the owner of La Bodega Premium Cellar in Paphos said he couldn't believe his eyes when he watched CCTV footage recorded in his shop during the earthquake, which destroyed dozens of bottles of wine, some collectors' items. "I wasn't in the building, but my staff were terrified and many bottles smashed in our first-floor store room. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the footage, it was as if the bottles and boxes were jumping off the shelves, " he said. He added that although he was pleased no one was injured and no major damage was reported, he was upset to lose a number of precious wines from his collection. "The damage to goods lost will be over one thousand euros, but I'm insured so I hope that will be OK.?" Kolokasides added that although a number of cracks had now appeared in his shop walls, they were small and nothing to worry about. The Geological Survey of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment noted that the earthquake which occurred at 11.25 am was centred in the sea 3 km west of Kissonerga and 8 km northwest of the town of Paphos at a depth of 25 km. The quake was strongly felt throughout Cyprus and especially in the Paphos district. There were 20 smaller aftershocks recorded up to 1pm. Social media was swamped with photos of people?s experiences and hundreds of comments from people who felt the quake, ranged from 'scared; to 'terrified.' Once the official announcement was made that there was no major damage or injuries, satirists took the opportunity to joke about the diabolical state of the towns roads 'blaming' the earthquake for shoddy surfaces and pot holes. Apart from a number of buildings suffering cracks, a stone wall collapsing in a field and objects reported falling from supermarket shelves, no major damage or injury was reported.
