5.5 magnitude earthquake hits South Iran, tremors felt in UAE

UAE's National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has registered an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on Richter scale which hit South Iran, 300 kilometers from Abu Dhabi, this morning.

A mild tremor was felt in the different parts of the UAE, the NCMS added.

Residents of Sharjah and Dubai took to social media sites to announce having felt tremors this morning.

In Abu Dhabi, only a small number of residents trickled out of their homes to the street after feeling the tremor at around 5.35 as most of the capital’s 1.3 million were in bed.

“I was asleep when I felt the bed was moving…I thought I was dreaming but I woke up and it was still jerking...it kept moving for nearly 20 seconds,” said Mohammed Homsi.

“I got up and saw that the chain on the door has moved…only then, I knew my building was moving and there could be an earthquake…I rushed out of the building and saw some people on the street…it was still dawn and they looked worried.”