Al Ain: A moderate-intensity earthquake yesterday jolted Madam, a town in south-eastern Sharjah, sending a wave of panic among the residents. No human and property losses were reported.

The 3.1 magnitude earthquake struck the area at 2.09pm, forcing people to rush out in the open as things started rattling around them in houses and shops. The tremors were felt for only for a few seconds.

"The epicentre of the earthquake was in Madam," said an official at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) in Abu Dhabi. Madam, a town in the Emirate of Sharjah, is located on Dubai-Fujairah Road and Al Ain-Al Dhaid Road. He said: "The tremors were mild and there is nothing to worry about."

The jolts were caused by shockwaves travelling from the epicentre of the earthquake, said the official, saying nothing about how deep in the earth it was.

This was, however, the first time in the recorded history that the area has experienced a locally generated earthquake. Mohammad Elyas, an expatriate resident of Madam, told Gulf News that he was having his lunch with the family when his younger daughter first felt the jots. "Forks and spoons were shaking ... and we rushed out to the street," he said.

Elyas said other residents of the locality also came out reciting Quranic verses. "The earthquake was for a few seconds and I did not see any damage in the area," he said.

Karunakaran SA, an expatriate shopkeeper in Madam, said he was closing his grocery shop when he felt the jolts. "At first it was [a] little stronger but quickly faded away," he said.

The quake was not reported by the Centre Sismologique Euro-Mediterraneen, the US Geological Survey (USGS), and the Iranian Geological Centre until late yesterday afternoon.

The last earthquake that was felt in the UAE occurred on May 8 last year when a 5.5 earthquake jolted the northern emirates. The epicentre of the earthquake was located some 67 kilometres away from Fujairah in the sea of the Gulf of Oman. According to the seismologists, the UAE is located close to the world's major earthquake zone. It also has three local fault zones that are located near Dibba, between Bidyah and Jebel Salhal, and Wadi Ham.