Many Icelanders awakened with a jolt Wednesday as an earthquake shook the southwestern part of the island, knocking down a dozen houses but causing no serious injuries.
The Meteorological Institute said the temblor had a magnitude of 6.6. Its epicenter was close to Hestfjall, in the Grimsnes area of south Iceland.
The quake followed an earthquake of similar magnitude Saturday that caused some electrical and water outages.
A bridge over the Thjorsa was closed for inspection but reopened Wednesday morning. Hot water pipes broke between the town of Selfoss and the villages of Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri. Civil Defense officials said about a dozen houses were destroyed and twice as many seriously damaged in the Grimsnes area, a popular place for summer cottages.
The U.S. Geological Survey in Washington said the quake occurred 6.2 miles below ground.
Prior to the past two quakes, the last event of that size in Iceland was in 1910. Iceland, where there are many active volcanoes, has many minor earthquakes.
