UAE Earthquake: No ‘predictions’ for another quake, says NCMS

The Abu Dhabi-based National Centee for Meteorology and Seismology has rubbished rumours of another big earthquake hitting the UAE, saying these things cannot be “predicted”.
 
Speaking to Emirates 24|7, a spokesperson from NCMS said: “We cannot predict whether there will be another earthquake.
 
“We simply analyse the situation, but getting panicked is not the answer.”
 
Yesterday, many panicked residents across the UAE felt the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the Iran-Pakistan border.

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The impact was felt greater in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, with NCMS confirming the epicentre of the quake was some “650km off the coast of Ras AL Khaimah, and 30km underground.”
 
The quake hit approximately 2.44pm, with the centre saying the impact that the UAE felt ranged between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale.
 
The spokesperson said: “Residents of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah would have felt it on the higher side due to the proximity to Iran. Meanwhile, those in Abu Dhabi would have felt it lesser.”
 
The jolts of the earthquake resulted in panic amongst many UAE residents, with fake BlackBerry messages also being sent, adding to the confusion.
 
The message read: ‘Guys, as the news says on the Dubai channel, the earthquake was in Iran by 8 degrees and it reached here in UAE at 1.2. And there will be another one in half an hour. We made sure by calling accuweather people. Please exit your homes. Especially if you live in higher floors. [sic]”
 
Authorities refuted such claims.

This is the second time this past one month that the UAE has felt the jolt of an earthquake, with residents feeling the ground shake under their feet on April 9, as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Iran.
 
At the time NCMS had said: “The tremors were felt in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah because of its epicentre, which was 500km from Abu Dhabi.”
 
The epicentre near Bushehr in Iran.

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