The tremors of a major earthquake that struck Iran have been felt across the subcontinent and the Gulf, including in Qatar, this afternoon.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was of 7.8 magnitude, which struck in Khash, Iran before 2pm Doha local time. This is the second earthquake to hit Iran in a week. Here’s the latest:
UPDATE | 3:45pm
Most office employees have been given the all-clear to return back inside high-rise buildings, witnesses have told Doha News. The evacuations, though, have resulted in increased traffic around the Dafna area.
In Iran, officials are counting the deaths from today’s earthquake. Although there are 40 confirmed deaths already, officials have said they expect casualties to be in the hundreds, Reuters reports.
UPDATE | 2:50pm
The Ministry of Interior has weighed in on the earthquake, saying there are no reports of damages from the tremors felt in Qatar yet.
Authorities are following impact of tremors felt after earthquake in Iran. We assure all there are no casualties or damages in Qatar.
— MOI, Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn)
Meanwhile, some nurseries in Qatar have also been evacuated as a safety precaution.
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Last Tuesday, many residents of Doha were evacuated from homes and office buildings after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit southern Iran.
Now, residents are saying the tremors were stronger than before, with more people reporting feeling their homes and office buildings shaking.
Some of the affected areas include Landmark Mall, Al Sadd, Education City and Katara. A number of towers and buildings across the city are again being evacuated as a safety precaution, but there are no reports out yet of any injuries or damages.
Many people say they are still standing outside waiting for the all-clear.
Nuclear concerns
Following last week’s earthquake, the GCC called on the UN to send inspectors to Iran’s Bushehr plant amid fears that the earthquake compromised the safety of the nuclear complex.
This latest, larger earthquake has renewed concerns about Iran’s nuclear plants, with residents already asking what kind of an impact the earthquake will have on them. Notably, today’s quake was not near the same nuclear plant.
Here’s the reaction we’ve been getting:
Were you affected by the tremors?
Credit: Photo courtesy of @thefahad, map courtesy USGS.