Employees gathering outside their offices, located in high-rise buildings, in West Bay yesterday, following a powerful earthquake that hit southeastern Iran and was felt in Qatar. PICTURE: Shemeer Rasheed

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

For the second time in eight days, tremors forced Qatar residents to scurry out of their homes and offices yesterday with some reports saying that the latest one was more intense than the last one.

The first tremors in recent history were felt last Tuesday after a massive earthquake  hit Bushehr in Iran. Yesterday’s tremors were experienced following a quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale rocking the border area between Iran and Pakistan.

The powerful earthquake killed at least 34 people in Pakistan, destroying hundreds of houses and shaking buildings as far away as India and Gulf Arab states.

Communications with the sparsely-populated desert and mountain region were largely cut off, making it difficult to assess Iranian casualties. But an Iranian provincial governor later said there were no reports of deaths there so far.

Pakistani officials said at least 34 people were killed and scores injured in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran.

The  tremors  were felt across Qatar between 1.50pm and 1.55pm.  Those residing or working in highrise buildings said there were two vibrations, taking place within a few seconds. The first one, according to some of them, lasted between 3 and 6 seconds while the second one was of lesser duration. 

As in the previous week, panic-stricken residents rushed out of their buildings in several areas, especially in the West Bay area and Al Sadd. Similar scenes  were  reported  from   Dukhan and Al Khor.  Women and children ran out of their homes after they felt the tremors  in Umm Ghuwaliana and Doha Jadeed too.

An executive whose office is located on the ninth floor of a building  in Al Sadd said his chair “swung for a few seconds” and he felt dizzy. “Without waiting any further, all of us in the office rushed out using stairs. By the time we reached the parking grounds, scores of people working in the complex  had already arrived there and were waiting anxiously,” he said.

Another resident, whose office is on the first floor of a building in Doha Jadeed, said the pedestal fan in his room shook unusually when the tremors hit.

Usman, a grocer in Najma,  reported that some of the plastic oil jars on the shelves in his shop fell to the ground and he was sure that the vibrations yesterday were stronger than the one that the country experienced the previous week.

Some of those working in the West Bay’s four Tower Zones said the “shaking” was more severe and louder, especially at the upper  levels, this time. Soon after the tremors were experienced people residing in Dukhan’s QP Township and its adjoining areas reported loud noises  in the area. Some of them said  they had not felt anything like that last week.

However, those residing in single-storied buildings did not feel anything “unusual” yesterday.

When contacted, a Met official said that yesterday’s tremors were a “little stronger” than the one that the country experienced a week before.

What surprised many city residents yesterday were the tremors in quick succession. An expert called it “a rare phenomenon”.

“There should not have been a repeat earthquake of a heavier intensity in the same region within such a short period. Yesterday’s earthquake in Iran happened on the eighth day after the first one. It was indeed surprising”, he said.

Met dept to acquire advanced seismograph equipment

Qatar’s Meteorology Department is planning a “major” expansion of its seismographic section in the coming months,  the head of the Forecasting section at the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), Abdulla al-Mannai, said yesterday. “In a month or two, many  advanced equipment for regular seismographic monitoring will be arriving in the country,” he said. “The arrival of advanced equipment  will give a  boost to the activities of the department, especially at a time when earthquakes of severe intensity are reported in the region.” Al-Mannai said Qatar was also preparing to set up seismographic observatories in different parts of the country. He said that orders for the new equipment had been placed about a month ago.