Sometimes, life is stranger than fiction. This is definitely one of those times.
In what’s surely the definition of a coincidence, on Thursday, an earthquake rocked the Liechtenstein Parliament, while a debate was being held on earthquake insurance.
In a video published by the Landtag (parliament), two tremors can be seen rocking the building within a couple of minutes of one another.
The first of the two tremors can be seen drawing a smile from FBP lawmaker Bettina Petzold-Mähr, who had been speaking. (The FBP is the Progressive Citizens’ Party, similar to the Conservatives.)
The second quake, the larger of the two, shook the parliament building more violently, prompting the president of the Landtag, Albert Frick, to temporarily halt the session, as well as evacuating the chamber.
Following the tremors, Liechtenstein police said they had a “large number of calls from concerned citizens” following the earthquakes, which measured 2.4 and 3.9 magnitudes, reports Euronews.
In a statement, they said: “So far, no personal injuries or property damage are known.”
According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the larger tremor struck at 13.57, with an epicentre 19 km (12 miles) south of the Austrian city of Dornbirn, and the quakes were reportedly felt in parts of Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.
This isn’t the first time an earthquake has interrupted a broadcast. In October 2020, Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir was interrupted during a press interview when a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the country.
Also in 2020, New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern was interrupted by an earthquake during a live television broadcast.
