Iran earthquake: Dubai feels tremors from magnitude 6 quake as they reach UAE coast

UAE residents tell of swaying feeling as overnight quake recorded

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An earthquake in southern Iran was felt in the UAE early on Thursday morning.

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

The GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences said it was magnitude 6.0, while the US Geological Survey placed it at 5.8.

Residents in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman posted messages on social media reporting swaying.

The UAE's National Centre of Meteorology said the earthquake was detected by its network of stations at 3.15am. The centre recorded it as a 5.0 magnitude event.

“Thought I was on a boat,” one resident said on Twitter.

“Another strong shake and vibration, cracking sound of windows and structure, never felt one here before,” another wrote.

Nehsan Selvaraj said he was staying at a hotel on Bluewaters Island when he felt tremors at about 3.20am.

“The whole Caesars Palace building was shaking,” he said on social media.

“I thought I was dizzy, then realised the lamps were moving heavily, and some strange sounds came from the building window and metals.”

Fakhar-e-Alam, a Pakistani television presenter living in Dubai, said staff in his building were inspecting it “for cracks or any kind of structural stress the building may have suffered".

“These were pretty strong tremors and lasted for almost a minute,” he added.

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 26,000 people. In 2017, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit the border region between Iran and Iraq, killing 600 people and injuring more than 9,000.

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

In pictures: UAE residents evacuated after Iran earthquake tremors in 2013

Buildings in Dubai Media City are evacuated following an earthquake in Dubai, April 16, 2013. Sarah Dea / The National

Rolando Banzon holds his daughter Alyssa, 3, after evacuating his Abu Dhabi residential building with his wife Analissa and son Ali, 6. Sammy Dallal / The National

People stand outside Mushrif Mall in Abu Dhabi. The quake, 86 kilometres southeast of Khasah, Iran and less than 100 kilometres west of the Pakistan border, struck at a depth of 15.2km, the US Geological survey said. Delores Johnson / The National

People wait outside after evacuating offices in Dubai Media City. Jumana El Heloueh / Reuters

Buildings in Dubai, such as in Media City, pictured, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah were evacuated and residents reported tremors from Fujairah to Al Ruwais. Sarah Dea / The National

Workers wait to re-enter their buildings in Dubai Media City. Sarah Dea / The National

Abu Dhabi residents. Residents should remain calm and avoid panic spread through social media, officials advised. Sammy Dallal / The National

April 16, 2012 (Abu Dhabi) People evacuate near by buildings after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake originating in Iran was also felt in Abu Dhabi April 16, 2013. (Sammy Dallal / The National)