Al Ain: Mild tremor hit Dibba around midnight on Sunday, forcing many residents to rush out of their house.
The shock wave was produced by a magnitude 3 earthquake on the Richter scale that hit the area at 11.46pm, according to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) in Abu Dhabi. No damage has been reported from the area.
The tremors were felt in Dibba and some other parts of the eastern coastal area. The epicentre of the earthquake was located some 10km off the coast of Dibba in the Sea of Oman at a depth of 10km. It was a mild quake, said the centre. The tremor was monitored by the NCMS’ earthquake stations in the area.
“I felt the tremor and jumped out of my bed,” said Mohammad Noman, a resident of Dibba, adding that it was a scary experience. He said that he went out of his house on to the streets. There were many other like me, he said.
“The tremors were felt just for few seconds but sent a wave of fear among the people,” Noman told Gulf News. The chandeliers, he said, rattled for less than a minute. Noman feared more jolts and stayed out in the open for a while.
Dibba, Fujairah and other parts of eastern emirates have experienced mild to moderate intensity quakes in the past due to their close proximity to the Iranian and Pakistani fault zones.
According to geologists, a limited seismic activity also takes place at the three UAE’s local fault zones that are located in the vicinity of Dibba, between Bidyah and Jebel Salhal, and Wadi Ham.
