UAE | Environment

Residents flee from skyscrapers after mild tremors hit UAE

Residents in some high-rise buildings in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE evacuated their premises after experiencing mild tremors on Tuesday morning.

  • By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
  • Published: 00:00 March 1, 2006
  • Gulf News

Al Ain: Residents in some high-rise buildings in Dubai and elsewhere in the UAE evacuated their premises after experiencing mild tremors on Tuesday morning.

Several parts of the country had residents of skyscrapers hurriedly evacuating when the tremors were felt in the UAE at 11.31am (local time), but things returned to normal when it became apparent the quake was not serious.

The shocks were the result of an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale in Iran, said Khalid M. Zadi, a senior meteorologist at the UAE Met Department.

"It was a moderate earthquake," he said, adding its epicentre was some 85km southeast of Hajiabad town, which is 130km from the city of Bandar Abbas.

Quoting the US Geological Survey (USGS) and Iranian International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES), Zaid said the institutions had been giving differing reports about the depth at which the earthquake had occurred.

Zadi said the IIEES has reported its depth at 18km while the USGS said it occurred 57.4km deep in the earth.

Iran has a history of earthquakes and a major fault line, known as the Zagros belt, passes through southern Iran.

This is also a major concern for the UAE and other GCC countries due to its proximity.

Geologists at UAE University have identified three fault zones in the UAE located in the vicinity of Dibba, between Bidyah and Jebel Salhal, and Wadi Ham.

The UAE Meteorological Department recently submitted a plan for a seismic monitoring facility. A government decision is yet to be taken on it.

Tremors confirmed

The UAE Meteorological Department confirmed the initial tremor in Dubai and the northern emirates, saying it was clearly felt by residents.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre reported two aftershocks in Southern Iran.

The first aftershock at 12.02pm (UAE local time) measured 3.8 on the Richter scale and it hit an area some 86 km away from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. The second aftershock measuring 4.7 hit some 87 km away from the Iranian town of Dehbaraz.

The UAE Meteorological Department also confirmed the two aftershocks but did not say whether or not they were felt in the UAE.

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