Earthquake hits southern Iran, tremors felt in UAE

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced tremors as an earthquake hit southern Iran early on Thursday.

The quake was reported at 3.15am and people said they felt tremors for about five seconds. Residents in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman posted messages on social media reporting swaying.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) confirmed that the 5.0-magnitude quake was felt by residents in the UAE.

The seismic event was reported 60 kilometres north of the Iranian coastal town of Bandar Lengeh.

There are mix reports coming regarding the intensity of quake as, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said it was magnitude 6.0, while the US Geological Survey placed it at 5.8.

Meanwhile, UAE's National Centre of Meteorology centre recorded it as a 5.0 magnitude event.

Iran sits on two major tectonic plates and is prone to frequent and severe seismic activity.

In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake destroyed the city of Bam, killing at least 26,000.

In 2017, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit the border region between Iran and Iraq, killing 600 and injuring more than 9,000.

Moreover, earthquakes and tremors in the UAE are relatively frequent but damage to buildings is quite rare.

Last night, a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook off the coast of Fukushima in northern Japan, triggering a tsunami advisory.