PARIS – A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck the southwest of France near the near the towns of Rochefort and La Rochelle in the region of Charente-Maritime.

It’s the largest quake to be register in mainland France since April 2014.

Though smaller tremors are frequent in the country, strong earthquakes are rare.

The epicentre of the quake was eight kilometres south of the coastal city La Rochelle, which has a population of just over 75,000.

The earthquake occurred at around 8.45am local time at a depth of 21km, according to the French newspaper Sud-Ouest.

There are no reports of any damage so far.

– with other agencies