*** ----> Tremors from quake in Iran rattle residents in Bahrain | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Tremors from quake in Iran rattle residents in Bahrain

ManamaResidents yesterday felt mild tremors across the cities of the Kingdom as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Iran’s southern province of Bushehr, which is home to a nuclear power plant. 

The Bahrain Seismic Station of the Meteorological Directorate said it detected the quake at 9:34 am yesterday. The quake was recorded 243 km northeast of Bahrain, with a magnitude of 5.7 Richter scale and the epicentre was at 41.8 km depth. 

The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 5.5, while Iranian state television, citing officials, described it as a magnitude 5.9 quake. Experts say varying magnitudes are common immediately after a quake. 

Immediately after the tremor, people in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia took to Social media to share their experience. Netizens said they felt the quake and evacuated from high-rise buildings. Media reports said people in Kuwait city also felt the tremor.  

The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) reported as having no effect from the quake in the country despite residents feeling the tremors. 

A Gulf News report said that residents in Dubai evacuated from buildings after feeling tremors from the quake in Iran. 

According to Iranian Red Crescent society, the quake’s epic centre was in a sparsely populated area. No casualties were reported. 

Telegram news channel of Iran’s state television, quoting Mahmoud Jafari, project manager at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, said the quake hardly affected the activity of the plant.  

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Semi-official Fars news agency also later reported that the quake did not affect routine operations at the plant. 

Bushehr has a 1,000-megawatt reactor built by Russia that became operational in 2011 and reached full capacity the following year.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said: “The quake hit the Kaki area in the province this morning.”

Many houses in rural parts of the province are made of mud bricks, which have been known to crumble easily in quake-prone Iran. Iran sits on major fault lines and is vulnerable to near-daily earthquakes.

In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.

In November, a major 7.3 magnitude quake struck a mountainous region of Iran near the Iraqi border, killing over 530 people and injuring thousands.