Nicholas Ambraseys wrote that the epicenter was probably located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea between the coasts of Cyprus and Syria.
They state that the plain may constitute a graben that is associated with normal faults, which would have produced the earthquake.
[3] The earthquake caused widespread damage particularly along the eastern coast of Cyprus as well as the Mesaoria plain, including the capital city of Nicosia.
In 'badly-built' city of Nicosia, chroniclers state that 4,000 buildings were destroyed during the earthquake.
The primary sources disagree on the loss of life in the city, with some stating that there was no loss of life, but another source stating that 1,000 people died.