Earthquake jolts Fujairah, but no damage reported

Fujairah: An earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale hit Dibba Al Fujairah early on Saturday morning.

However, no injuries or damage to property was reported, as the tremors felt were mild, residents and officials say. The quake was reported by some residents at 5.44 am.

Lieutenant Colonel Ali Obaid Al Tunaiji, Director of Fujairah Civil Defence, told Gulf News there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

"We received calls from a number of residents informing us of the tremor but there were no calls for units to be dispatched to any location," said Lt Col Al Tunaiji.

Dibba resident Ali Mohammad Abdullah was on his way to perform morning prayers when he felt the ground move under him.

"I was making my way to the mosque and then I felt a small twitch in the ground. I knew immediately it was an earthquake because the same thing happened two weeks ago."

Ali added: "Thankfully, this time again the quake was not strong, to the extent that some did not feel it."

The tremor comes in the wake of the strong winds which caused widespread property damage on Friday, according to the Director of Fujairah Civil Defence.

According to a statement by the National Meteorology and Seismology Centre, the quake was light and no casualties or damage was reported.

The tremor was strongly felt in Dibba Al Fujairah only and was not felt by citizens in other areas, because it was a minor one, the statement said.

Meanwhile, an earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale hit the Arabian Gulf region at 9.33am on Saturday. It was felt in Qatar only, and some coastal areas in the UAE.