UAE | Environment
Quake tremors shake up UAE residents
A nighttime earthquake rocked southern Iran and woke up hundreds of UAE residents early Thursday morning.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief and Daniel Bardsley/Gulf News staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 June 29, 2006
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.
More from UAE Environment
More from UAE
Latest news
- New road widens Jumeirah Lakes Towers access
- Filipino students, groups attend cultural meet
- For this maestro, it's all about the sound
- Experts can't tell old instruments from new
- Sound of violins
- Facilitators: Helping others find joy
- Volunteers remove garbage from Mamzar beach
- Clean-up campaign set to raise awareness
- Sharjah landmarks bathed in light
- Shaikh Mohammad meets South Korea leader
- Get friends on board, zip away with Salik bonus
- Top Arab advocacy group in dire need of aid
- New rules for Abu Dhabi buildings
- In the pursuit of happiness
- Dubai hospitals debut life-saving procedure
Community Reports
-
Bridges needed
Al Ittihad Road has no pedestrian facilities as one nears Sharjah
-
Street lights needed
Authorities urged to act with haste before a major accident occurs in Al Nahda, Dubai
-
Motorists ignore stop sign on buses
Overtaking school vehicles can put students' lives at risk
-
Safety regulations flouted at Dubai work place
In Al Nahda 2, two workers were seen working on the crane boom at a height of 20m without a full body harness or safety net in violation of rules
