கட்டார், ஈரான், பஹ்ரெய்ன், ஐக்கிய அரபு இராச்சியத்திலும் நில அதிர்வு

கட்டார், ஈரான், பஹ்ரெய்ன் மற்றும் ஐக்கிய அரபு இராச்சியத்திலும் நில அதிர்வு உணரப்பட்டுள்ளதாக அந்நாட்டு ஊடகங்கள் செய்தி வெளியிட்டுள்ளன.

Three people were killed by a powerful earthquake in southern Iran today, close to the country's only nuclear power station, state television reported.

The magnitude 6.3 quake struck 89 km (55 miles) southeast of the port city of Bushehr at 1152 GMT at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. It was felt strongly on the other side of the Gulf.

The Russian company that built the nuclear power station, 18 km (11 miles) south of Bushehr, said the quake had been felt there but that operations at the plant were not affected.

"The earthquake in no way affected the normal situation at the reactor. Personnel continue to work in the normal regime and radiation levels are fully within the norm," Russian state news agency RIA quoted an official at Atomstroyexport as saying.

One Bushehr resident said her home and the homes of her neighbours were shaken by the quake but not damaged.

"We could clearly feel the earthquake," Nikoo, who requested to be identified only by her first name, told Reuters by telephone. "The windows and chandeliers all shook."

State TV did not give any details on the three casualties. Thousands of people live in two villages near the nuclear plant.

Offices in the capitals of Qatar and Bahrain were evacuated after the quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, according to Reuters witnesses and messages on Twitter. The shock was also felt in financial hub Dubai.

The quake was much smaller than the 9.0 magnitude one that hit Japan two years ago, triggering a tsunami that destroyed back-up generators and disabled the Fukushima nuclear plant's cooling system. Three of the reactors melted down.

Gulf Arab countries and Western experts have voiced concerns about the Bushehr plant, built in a highly seismic area. Iran has repeatedly rejected concerns it could be unsafe.

Iran is the only country operating a nuclear power plant that does not belong to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, negotiated after the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl which contaminated wide areas and forced about 160,000 Ukrainians from their homes.

Western officials and the United Nations have urged Iran to join the safety forum.

Reuters

Nearly two hours after the fire, many people are being allowed back in their residences and workplaces, with some exceptions. Others have been sent home from work for the day.
Meanwhile, the safety of Qatar’s high-rises is once again in the spotlight, as is construction safety.
On Facebook, Roxanne Davis posted this photo of men working in the Old Salata area near Souq Waqif

Earthquake today, and here these guys are 13 floors up with no hardhats or harnesses

Thousands of people have been evacuated from office and residential towers across Doha after tremors left many residents feeling a shaking sensation - in some instances for up to 30 to 40 seconds.
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake was registered in southern Iran just before 3pm Doha local time. Shortly thereafter, reports of shaking and earthquake-like effects began pouring in from Doha and elsewhere in Qatar.
Residents reported feeling the tremors across the city, primarily in areas near the coast, including at the Crowne Plaza Hotel towards the south-east, Hamad Hospital in the center of town, and Dafna and West Bay to the north.
Although not all in Doha felt the tremor - there were no reports of shaking in Al Waab - some as far away as Mesaieed and Ras Laffan said they felt it as well.

At the Pearl-Qatar, some towers were evacuated - especially those still under construction - while police took control of the situation there.
Within an hour, the Ministry of Interior said there were no known damages or injuries:

A four-car pileup did occur around the same time at Ahmed bin Ali Street, although it isn’t yet clear if the tremors had anything to do with it.

Many offices resumed normal operations within the hour, although employees at Qatar Science and Technology Park said they were sent home while a suspected gas leak was investigated.
There have been no recent earthquakes in Qatar, although mild tremors were reported in 2010 and 2011.
Here’s what people have been telling us on Twitter about their experiences: