The President of Moldova Maia Sandu’s real-time reaction to an earthquake was immortalized when tremors were felt during a live TV interview in Romania.
While speaking about her activities in the upcoming week on the Moldovan current affairs show Ultima Ora, the studio felt the magnitude 5.2 earthquake which rocked Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine.
“My goodness, something interesting is happening here. A live premiere, an earthquake,” the presenter said, according to Reuters.
Sandu reacted to the shaking in the studio by widening her eyes, and responded to the presenter, “So it appears, yes.”
Evgeny Odinokov/Associated Press
Sandu also reportedly agreed with the presenter that the interview had an “unusual ending.”
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova for comment via email.
Footage of the moment was posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, where it quickly went viral and gained more than 420,000 views and nearly 4,000 likes.
Many users in the comment section commended Sandu and the presenter for remaining calm while experiencing the tremors of the earthquake live on air.
One user, Carlos, wrote on X, “Nothing shakes these two women, that fear faced with elegance and a smile on their faces.”
Another user, Shadow Fox, wrote, “Oh, I so love President Sandu! Perfectly composed during an unexpected earthquake! Absolutely Presidential! Moldova is fortunate!”
The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Vrancea county in Romania, adjacent to the Moldovan border, and caused no damage, according to Reuters. Moldova, which has a population of around 2.42 million, borders with Romania to the west, and Ukraine on the north, east, and south.
The medium-intensity earthquake was felt in the Romanian capital Bucharest, as well as in eastern Romania, according to Romania Insider.
The earthquake was the strongest felt in the Vrancea seismic area since 2022, the outlet reported.
Sandu, 52, has been president of Moldova since 2020, and is the first female president of the eastern European country. She was an integral part of leading Moldova’s mission to gain entrance to the European Union, Newsweek previously reported.
She has been vocal about her criticism of Russia for invading Ukraine and has expressed concerns about Russia attacking Moldova, Newsweek previously reported.
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