Al Ain: Earthquakes have been rocking Iran — sending a wave of fear across the region.

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale on Sunday jolted southern Iran close to the Strait of Hormuz around 2.45pm UAE time. The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) recorded the quake, saying that it was an aftershock of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Iran’s southern Hormozgan province early on Saturday.

The epicentre of the earthquake was located some 20km deep inside the earth, some 207km to the northeast of Ras Al Khaimah, according to the NCMS. Tremors were, however, not felt anywhere in the UAE.

Continuous earthquakes in seismically active Iran have been a source of concern for people in neighbouring countries, including the UAE. In just one month, hundreds of minor to moderate intensity quakes have rocked Iran, some of them even jolting parts of the UAE. The biggest quake in 50 years hit Iran last month with a magnitude of 7.8. It came a week after another struck near the Iranian port city of Bushehr that houses Iran’s controversial nuclear power plant. There was, however, no damage reported to the plant.

The phenomenon gave way to rumours in the UAE saying that a severe earthquake would hit the region. It was swiftly denied by the NCMS and the US Geological Survey. People are still worried — despite the fact scientists have repeatedly said that nobody can predict when and where an earthquake will hit.

A private school in Al Ain recently conducted an emergency drill, telling students what to do in such an event.

“We were told to hide under a desk if the earth starts shaking,” said Munib Ahmad. He said that teachers told them what should be done in case of an earthquake and then asked them to carry out a practical exercise.

“We pushed the chairs towards the right and crawled under the desks,” said Ahmad.

Ali Al Saleh, a seismologist, said the school had done the right thing in at least educating the students on what should be done in an emergency situation. But it did not mean that an earthquake was going to hit the country, he said.

“The UAE is located at a safe distance from the seismically active zone and people should not worry,” he added.