Mild earthquakes create panic in United Arab Emirates
October 23, 2012 – UAE – Residents in Fujairah have described how they fled from their homes when they felt mild tremors during an earthquake on Sunday night. The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) said yesterday that three mild earthquakes shook northern parts of the UAE and the Oman Sea. The weathermen said in a statement that the first quake struck at 8.13pm in the sea about 33km north of Fujairah city and measured 3.8 in magnitude on the Richter scale.The second tremor of 4.6 magnitude was felt 200km northeast of Fujairah at 8.38pm and a third shook Fujairah at about 9.07pm and was of 3.1 magnitude. “I was relaxing in my bedroom when I felt the jolt,” said Jumah Khalid, a Sudanese expat. He said he thought his head was spinning but then his brother felt the tremor too. “It lasted for only a few seconds but we rushed out of the house,” he said. Emirati Mohammed Hamid, who lives in Masafi, said he and his wife also ran out of their home with their two children when the ground moved. “I heard the doors making a weird sound before I felt the house shaking,” he said. Another Fujairah resident, Ali Khan, a Pakistani driver said: “I was having tea at a cafeteria when I felt the tremors. “It was scary. I saw many people rushing out of their homes in a panic.” A senior officer at Masafi Police Station told 7DAYS one person had suffered minor injuries when a crescent from a mosque collapsed on him as the tremors shook the wall of the building. No serious damage or injuries were reported. A seismologist at NCMS said this was only minor seismic activity. “There are no predictions for more earthquakes,” he said. The official said UAE buildings are firm and can withstand the tremors. -7daysindubai
