Hundreds of people rushed out of their offices and homes after they felt mild tremors in some parts of Qatar yesterday afternoon.

The tremors were felt for a few seconds across the region, sometime between 2 .55pm and 3pm, after Iran was rocked by a strong earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale.

“Some residents of Qatar felt tremors following an earthquake in Bushehr city of Iran. There is no damage or casualty in Qatar,” the Ministry of Interior tweeted.

Though there were no reports of any injuries or casualties, the tremors and the resultant scare sent shock waves all along the country, mainly in Doha’s West Bay and its surrounding areas.

Feeling unusual vibrations, scores of employees working in towers rushed out, most of them using stairs.

As in the West Bay Tower Zone, in Al Sadd too hundreds of anxious office staff rushed out of the complexes where they worked. A youth working in an office in Al Sadd said he was swept off his feet but saved himself from falling  by holding on to a table.

“When I was running out of the office, which is situated on the ninth floor, I could find many others of the neighbouring offices also rushing out of the building through its stairs. Once outside I could find many other occupants of the building also in the car park and its vicinity,” he said.

A youth who was waiting in his car outside a newly-built tower near the Sheraton roundabout said he felt that his vehicle was “shaking”.  “Immediately I saw many people rushing out of the nearby buildings.”

Another resident, working in a tower near the City Center Doha, said he felt dizziness on experiencing vibrations.

It was those working on the top floors in high rises in the area who felt the impact more than others.  Occupants of some of the buildings in the Al Asmakh, Doha Jadeed and Mushereib areas also came out on feeling the tremors.  

Similar reports  poured in from  locations like Hamad Medical City, Fariq Bin Omran and Madinat Khalifa. Those working in the city areas as Bank Street, Muntazah and Mansoura also reported experiencing mild tremors  for a short while.

Inquiries made in and around Doha city and its immediate neighbourhood found many residents experiencing similar vibrations. However, none  in the vast Industrial Area reported having experienced any tremors.

There were unconfirmed reports of people residing in Umm Ghuwlina and Bin Ghanem experiencing tremors, as reported on a social networking site.

According to a social networking site, even two hours after the tremors, many people were not allowed back in their residences and workplaces in some areas.

Unaware of the tremors there were also reports of construction workers doing duties on the top floors of tall buildings under construction in the city.

Employees in various establishments along the Airport Road were told to evacuate their buildings especially after fire alarms went off. Many felt the shaking.

One employee told Gulf Times that his colleagues were nervous since it was probably the first time it had happened in this part of the world. He said that after hearing the fire alarm, they quickly went down the building while a few remained seated on their chairs.

“We felt it around 3pm and as a normal procedure we have to evacuate the building and go to the assembly point. It was part of the drill we have done before,” he added.

Many of those working in hotels and towers in the West Bay district said they felt the tremors. Some employees who were on the 46th floor said their building swayed for at least 20 seconds.

Social networking sites were abuzz with comments of the quake. “While taking my lunch I realised my head was spinning. It happened twice. Then I looked at the chandelier and it was wobbling,” said a man.

“My dad’s office building on the Corniche has been evacuated along with several other buildings. He felt the building move!” said another.

When contacted, an official of the Met department said what the country experienced yesterday was only a tremor of minimal magnitude and residents had “nothing to be worried about”.  

The Ambulance Service at the Hamad Medical Corporation said it did not receive any call for assistance following the tremors. Page 32

 

 

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