DOHA: Qatar’s Meteorology Department said yesterday that no more aftershocks of the 7.8 magnitude tremor that hit Iran yesterday are likely to be felt here due to their low intensity.
The epicentre of yesterday’s quake was some 900km from Qatar, the department said. Residents of a highrise building living on higher floors felt the tremors while those living on the lower floors didn’t, said Abdullah Al Mannai, senior official from the Meteorology Department.
He reiterated that a quake cannot be forecast and people can be alerted only 30 seconds before one hits an area. Alarabia.net said the aftershocks were felt all over the GCC region at about 1.44pm, while Qatar’s Meteorology Department said they got a number of calls with people panicking and enquiring if a quake had struck, Al Sharq reported.
A large number of people were evacuated to safety from high-rise buildings in Al Dafna and the towers area of West Bay as a precaution following the aftershocks.
Large groups of people had gathered along the Corniche waiting to go back to their offices in those highrise buildings. Many offices, however, asked their employees to go home.
The emergency unit of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) said no injuries were reported due to the aftershocks. The Interior Ministry said on Twitter that no injuries or damage was caused by the aftershocks due to the Iranian quake. The Peninsula
