Liechtenstein shakes as lawmakers debate quake insurance

BERLIN (AP) — Two earthquakes hit Liechtenstein just as lawmakers in the tiny Alpine principality were debating the pros and cons of quake insurance.

Lawmaker Bettina Petzold-Maehr had just warned that the chances of all Liechtenstein citizens being affected by an earthquake striking the country was high when the first small temblor hit shortly before 2 p.m. (1200GMT) Thursday.

Petzold-Maehr laughed and continued until the second quake struck, visibly shaking the room.

“This is getting a bit much, you never know if there’ll be aftershocks,” speaker Albert Frick said, announcing a 15-minute recess.

Records by the German Research Centre for Geosciences showed a magnitude 4 earthquake hit Liechtenstein, which is sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, Thursday afternoon.

Liechtenstein police said no injuries or damage were reported, and gave a magnitude of 3.9 for the quake.

Liechtenstein has a population of just under 39,000 and a surface area of 62 square miles (160 square kilometers), making it slightly smaller than Washington, D.C.