Dubai: Panic stricken people said that they were too scared to get into their residences and office building following tremors that were felt across Dubai due to an earthquake measuring 6.1 which struck Iran on Wenesday.
Eyewitness accounts:
I had just returned from college. My building is located in Muhaisanah 3. I am a student at Dubai Medical College. Our flat is on the first floor. I was lying down in my room chatting with my mother when I felt the bed shake. Everything including the sofa and chair started moving. My mother who has experienced earthquakes in Pakistan warned that this was a tremor and a second would follow … usually of a bigger magnitude. We quickly picked up our keys and ran out of the building using the emergency exit. This was around 3.05pm. I have experienced this for the first time!
From Ms Rabab Zaka
Muhaisanah, Dubai
My office building was shaking for a fraction of a second. I was doing some paperwork when I felt my mobile stand starting to shake on the table and also felt it in my feet. I thought that I was just I feeling dizzy! Suddenly a colleague shouted out that it was an earthquake. The building has three floors and is located in the Al Garhoud area. Then I also received a call from the babysitter in Sharjah, Al Nahda area, who takes care of my two children — a nine-year-old boy and a five-year-old daughter. They, too, felt the building and furniture in the house shake. This is the first time I have experienced something like this!
From Ms Sudha Radha
Al Garhoud, Dubai
At 3.10pm, I was with my son in the living room, when I felt the television and furniture shaking. I looked up and saw the lights flickering. I ignored what I saw as I thought I was imagining it all. A few seconds later, I heard something crashing in the kitchen — I thought it was probably my husband, back from work. Next, I felt as if everything was shaking and it struck me that it might be an earthquake. I immediately ran to the entrance and out of the building. Everyone had been evacuated and there were people everywhere. I had never experienced an earthquake, so didn't know better.
From Ms Nabeela Masiuddin
Sharjah, King Faisal Road, Al Habtoor Towers.
We live opposite Bur Juman centre and had just finished lunch. My wife and I were sitting on the bed talking when we felt it shake a little. We both looked at each other because we felt the slight tremor, when suddenly the bed shook again, violently for 3 to 4 seconds. When we came out we didn't find anyone, so we were very confused. I tried to look for the building watchman, but we couldn't find him so we went into an open space. Because I have had bad experiences with earthquakes in the Philippines as well, we waited there for around 5 minutes, anticipating an aftershock.
From Mr Arnold Garcia
Bur Dubai, Dubai
We live on the 14th floor in a building next to Bur Juman centre. I felt the room shake, so my parents and I immediately came out of our flat. We saw women with their children trying to get into a packed lift. The lift was showing the emergency signs of 'fire' and 'full'. Since the elevator was full, we ran down 14 floors along with almost 20 other tenants to the basement. But, for some reason the basement door was closed shut. We all started panicking and came out of the main entrance on the ground floor. Since my family is travelling on holiday today, I didn't have the chance to take anything except my handbag, which had money in case of an emergency. We later on received a call from my aunt who lives in Sri Lanka. She informed us that the authorities had issued a tsunami warning.
From Ms Janoo Chugani
Bur Dubai, Dubai
I live in Sharjah on Jamal Abdel Nasser Street. I was in bed reading a book, when I felt like someone was moving my bed. I ran out to check on my family, when my mother said that she had also felt the sofa move. The tremor was for 5-6 seconds, and we immediately called other family members to check on their safety.
From Ms Zaina Khan
Sharjah
Bilal Abdul Karim, from Aims Media in Sharjah said: “I was sitting in my office located in the Damas and all of a sudden I saw the walls cracking, the chairs were shaking. I just did not understand what was happening and called to my colleagues who informed me that it must be an earthquake. We all ran out. There were already people on the road,'' he said.
Bharat Soni, who works in the Emirates Bank located opposite to the Abra station in Deira said: “It was a scary experience and we all ran out of the building. There was total panic. Some people just went home they were too scared to go indoors,' he said.
Dinesh Cheda, who works in the Standrad Chartered Bank in Bur Dubai said that there were two tremors. He said: “The first one was a bit lighted. A second later another one followed and that was quite severe. The fire alarm went on and we were asked to leave the building. The office furniture was shaking and entire Bur Dubai is out on the road.
More eyewitness accounts
We felt a minor earthquake in the Bur Dubai area, near Dubai museum, which lasted for five seconds. It wasn't too bad.
From Ms Neelu Bhojwani
Dubai
I felt tremors at my home in Al Ghusais, in Dubai, at around 3pm. The chair I was sitting on rocked for about four or five seconds. I spoke to several of my friends in Sharjah. Many people were standing outside their buidlings.
From Mr Bhagavan Das Raghava
Sharjah
We felt the earthquake in Hyatt regency at 3.15pm.
From Mr Mohammad Taqi
Dubai
I'm at the Greens and I believe we've just felt an earth tremor. I was sitting down at the time and felt myself jolt sideways and jumped up and realised my kitchen utensils hanging on a rail were swinging and banging against the wall. Very unnerving — my hands are still shaking.
From Ms Amanda Richards
UAE
Just a few minutes ago, I felt an earthquake. I don't know what the magnitude was? Is this part of global warming?
From Ms Angel
UAE
My relatives and friends in Dubai and Sharjah felt some tremors in their area.
From Ms Hina
UAE
Hi, I work in Al Khor building, in Deira. At around 3.10pm, we felt our building shake for five to six seconds.
From Ms Lavina
Dubai
Today at 3.10PM, I felt mild tremors. I called my friend immediately and she had felt the same. I was working on my computer at that time and felt the chair shaking. I thought it was probably my daughter playing, but when I turned there was no one.
From Ms Sudha
UAE
At about 3.01pm, I felt mild tremors while at home. I stay on the 7th floor in the Al Nabba area. I was almost swaying from left to right for a few seconds.
From Ms Nimrah Hussain
Sharjah
We felt a tremor for just a fraction of a second, at exactly 3pm in Garhoud.
From Ms Sudha Radha
Dubai
I work in Hor Al Anz and experienced a mild tremor.The computers shook briefly. Are there any major quakes or tremors in the neighbouring emirates?
From Mr Raj Kumar
Dubai
I am based in Dubai Internet City and felt tremors thrice. They were very strong.
From Mr Marivic Fabia
Dubai
There was an earthquake at 3pm in the Al Barsha area.
From Mr M. Kannan
Dubai
An earthquake was felt in Ajman and parts of Sharjah!
From Mr Abraham
UAE
We felt the tremors in Ajman and they were quite strong. They occurred at 2.55pm.
From Ms Saira
UAE
We have an office on the tenth floor of a building in Abu Dhabi. All of our 25 employees felt the building shake.
From Mr Tarun
Abu Dhabi
I felt the tremors for about five to seven seconds in the afternoon, in Ghusais. It was our first experience, and definitely not a good one.
From Mr Anil Stellar
Dubai
Several of my friends told me that their offices on Shaikh Zayed Road were shaking around 3pm in the afternoon.
From Mr Leslie John Welland
UAE
We experienced a tremor in the building located in Dubai Outsource Zone, near Academic City. There were no damages.
From Mr Suresh
UAE
We live in Al Qusais. Around 3pm in the evening, my daughter Yashasvi, who had just returned from school and I were discussing the ‘Big Bang experiment' and watching the news. It was then when the couch, the computer and the TV started shaking. My daughter who has already heard many end-of-the-Earth-due-to-the-black-hole stories rushed out of the building. As we were going out, many people were already down, at the exit of the building.
From Mr B.G.Mohandas
Dubai
We were working in the Al Awir car market, in our office, when we felt the shattering of glass panes around the silent market. My colleagues and I came out of the showroom and were waiting for more tremors but after that one, nothing happened. We didn't know what it was in the beginning, but later we found out what it was.
From Mr Pratyush Saha
Dubai
We didn't know what was happening. We just started looking at each other. We didn't know Dubai was prone to earthquakes.
From Ms Lisa
Dubai
The earthquake tremors were felt even in Garhoud area in Dubai. We were on the sixth floor and had to rush down with my 15-month-old daughter.
From Mr Mayur
Dubai
I work in Dubai Festival City and our office is on the 20th floor. We felt the shaking and we immediately vacated the office.
From Mr Yogesh
Dubai
Have you felt the tremors? Where were you when it happened? Has it affected you? Send your contact details and pictures to readers@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below.
