UAE businesses disrupted by Iran quake

Business was disrupted yesterday as buildings in Dubai were evacuated when tremors from an earthquake in Iran were felt in the city.

The after-effects of the quake, which measured 6.1 on the Richter scale and struck near Bandar Abbas, the site of a major oil refinery, were also detected in Sharjah and elsewhere in the UAE.

The earthquake killed at least four people in Iran and injured 26.

"Tremors from the earthquake were strongly felt in the UAE, particularly in the Northern Emirates, but more lightly in Abu Dhabi," said the Wam news agency. "Aftershocks from the earthquake, which occurred at 3pm, measured 4.8 on the Richter scale."

The UAE National Seismic Network, an affiliate of the UAE National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, said the epicentre of the quake was the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf.

The effect on businesses in the UAE was reduced because of the Ramadan working hours. Employees who had to return to work were back in their buildings within 40 minutes.

Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter and Bandar Abbas is a major port with oil installations including a refinery.

"Fortunately there was no damage to the oil industry's facilities," Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, Vice-president for Investment Affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company, said.

In Dubai, Citibank employees on Um Hurair Road were evacuated when they felt the tremors.

"It took a while to register," said one. "Then the impact was like a wave and it continued for three to four minutes. People started to panic and leave the building. It took a while to evacuate."

Staff at Emirates Towers were immediately told to leave the building. Employee Noor Ahmed said: "We were asked to evacuate by security at around 3pm. We were in a meeting when we felt the tremors. Security came and told us to leave immediately."

Employees started to return to their offices at 3.40pm. Emaar officials were not available to comment on whether the tremors affected work at the Burj Dubai.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the pineapple-shaped headquarters of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority after the tremor struck the area.

"I arrived at Silicon Oasis just after 3pm to have a late lunch with colleagues when suddenly the fire alarms went off and we were told to leave the building because there had been a quake," said an employee of the nearby Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). "Everyone stayed calm and it was all very orderly. Then we heard that other parts of the city had been affected. We were allowed back into the building at 3.20pm. The KHDA's headquarters at Academic City were also evacuated."

An employee at the Reuters building in Dubai Media City said he was on the phone when he felt the floor shake. "It was a strange feeling," he added. "I felt the chair shaking as well as the floor. We ran out of the building."

The employees returned to work after 10 minutes. Staff at other buildings including HSBC's headquarters did not feel the tremors. Employees in Bank Street in Bur Dubai felt mild tremors but they were not strong enough to force them to leave the building.

A spokesman for Sharjah Police said the tremors caused panic among residents, especially those staying in the upper floors of high-rise buildings. "We have sent patrols to control the situation and calm down families who rushed down to the streets due to the tremors, which some say took a few seconds and others felt for two minutes," he added. "Some people were really scared but there were no cases of buildings collapse."

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes – it experiences at least one slight quake every day on average. In February 2005 a 6.4-magnitude quake rocked the town of Zarand in southern Iran, killing 612 people and injuring more than 1,400.

The UAE National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology said the seismic activities in Qeshm do not constitute a threat to the UAE. "Apart from ripples from the earthquake which we have seen there is no substantial danger," said a spokesman.

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