Quake tremors shake up UAE residents

Al Ain/Dubai: A nighttime earthquake rocked southern Iran and woke up hundreds of UAE residents early Thursday morning.

The earthquake - recorded as being between 5.4 and 5.6 on the Richter Scale - jolted the Gulf region at about 1am and caused panic among many who felt the tremors.

No damage has been reported, even in Iran, which lies on a faultline and is prone to suffering major shocks. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Qeshm, an island 60km southwest of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake as 5.6 on the Richter Scale, while an Iranian earthquake monitoring centre reported its intensity as 5.4. It happened 14km deep in the ground close to the Iranian fault line.

In the UAE, jolts were reported in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and the other northern Emirates, along with parts of Abu Dhabi Emirate, including Al Ain.

After the quake, residents bombarded the meteorological office at Dubai International Airport with calls trying to find out what had happened. Gulf News offices in Dubai and Al Ain also received many calls from concerned residents.

Dr S.K. Gupta, the duty forecaster at Dubai International Airport at the time, said: "I didn't feel it, but we had many calls about it, although we do not have any seismological instruments to record earthquakes here."

There were no reports of casualties or damage to property anywhere in the UAE.

Yesterday's earthquake was of "moderate intensity" at its epicentre and by the time it reached the UAE the earthquake had lost much of its intensity.

Earthquakes that reach six or more on the Richter Scale are described as strong and can result in major loss of life.