4.6 magnitude earthquake hits central Yemen

The Regions of al-Madharabh and al-Shamalityen in Lahj province witnessed a medium earthquake with a 4.6 magnitude on the Richter scale early Sunday morning, according to a digital recording of the Seismological and Volcanological Observatory Center, located in Dhamar province. It didn’t cause any damages.

The deputy of the Center, Engineer Saleh al-Maflahi, said that the earthquake occurred at 01:27 a.m. on Sunday morning, at a distance 30 km southwest of al-Turbah city in Taiz governorate, specifically at the point of convergence latitude (096.13) in the north, and longitude (986.43) to the east. Al-Maflahi noted that the focus of the quake was at a depth of 18 km beneath the earth and was felt by residents of the al-Madharabh area and most of the Taiz and Lahj population.

“This tremor fell within the medium earthquake region, which means it does not have a serious impact on people’s lives. The same region was exposed to intense seismic activity in 2003 and 2004, but in varying degrees which is one of the ways to dump the depths of the earth’s energy,” he told Saba News Agency.

According to the Seismological and Volcanological Observatory Center this is the largest earthquake recorded by the center in one region of Yemen since the medium earthquake that hit the area of  Sah in Hadramout province in 2005. Its strength was 2.5 degrees on the Richter scale. Dhamar province witnessed a medium earthquake amounting to a magnitude of 3.4 among several seismic activities in the region in January 2010, with no damages or casualties.

The earthquake was the strongest experienced in the region since the famous and powerful earthquake that hit Dhamar and several areas in the province in 1982 with a magnitude of 6.0 degrees, which led to the deaths of more than 2,500 people and injured 25,000 others, destroying about 15,000 houses as well as partially damaging 50,000 more. The population of al-Hujariyah in Taiz province also felt the earthquake and hurried to leave their homes fearing that they would fall on top of them, but there were no damages. They said that they feared for their lives if another earthquake should strike.  

Related Content

•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  http://www.yemenobserver.com
•  Offensive against militants drives US drone campaign, tribes claim
•  Family to hand over militants should drone campaign cease
•  Government says Al Qaeda deputy amir dead, experts skeptical