Earthquake hits UAE's East Coast

Dubai: A moderate tremor and at least three aftershocks hit the UAE's East Coast last night, triggering panic and prompting residents in several areas of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah to run out of their homes in the belief that a major earthquake had struck, police and Civil Defence officials said.

The strongest tremors were felt in Masafi, Manama, Bidiya, Siji and other mountainous villages in the Hajar Mountain range near Dhaid, while Adhan and Al Ghal in Ras Al Khaimah experienced minor jolts, officials said.

"The tremors in Masafi were the strongest I have ever experienced," Ahmad Hassan Al Hammoudi, a Civil Defence official in Fujairah, told Gulf News. Arif Esmail, a senior police officer in Fujairah, confirmed that the tremors were felt across the East Coast.

There were no reports of any casualties or damage to property, Civil Defence officials said. The quake struck Masafi at 10.28pm, followed by minor tremors at 10.37pm, 10.53pm and 10.54 pm, they said.

"I had just settled down in bed when I felt the earth below my bed was shaking ... I felt as if I was in a cradle in the middle of the air," Rashid Mohammad a resident of Manama, told Gulf News.

"All Civil Defence personnel rushed to Masafi, trying to calm down panicking residents. As a precaution, we evacuated many people," Al Hammoudi said.

Eyewitnesses reported scenes of panic and fear. "Suddenly everything started spinning and we all ran out instantly," said Masafi resident Salem Bin Taher. When contacted, the Met Office in Abu Dhabi said it had no details on the tremors or their magnitude.

— With additional reports from Nissar Hoath and Bassma Al Jandaly, Staff Reporters