Saudi’s Madinah hit by earthquake

A 2.5 magnitude earthquake was experienced in the Saudi holy city of Madinah on Tuesday afternoon, the Saudi Geological Society said.

The tremor was recorded at 2:59pm and was described as “very weak and not dangerous” by state-run Saudi Press Agency.

General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection spokesperson Tariq Abal Khail said it occurred 14km northwest of Madinah city and tremors were felt in nearby regions.

Civil defence forces in Madinah said they received a number of calls from residents in townships west of the city regarding the earthquake but no damage was reported.

The director of civil defence in Madinah, brigadier general Abdulrahman Al-Harbi, urged specialists to closely monitor the situation and issue reports.

سجلت محطات الرصد الزلزالي التابعة للهيئة هزة أرضية ظهر اليوم 29 ربيع الآخر 1439 هـ الموافق 16 يناير 2018 م الساعة الثانية وتسع وخمسون دقيقة بالتوقيت المحلي بقوة 2.5 درجة على مقياس ريختر وتبعد مسافة 14 كم شمال غرب المدينة المنورة، وتم الشعور بالهزة في المناطق القريبة من الهزة.

— هيئة المساحة الجيولوجية السعودية (@SgsOrgSa) January 16, 2018

A 3.0 magnitude earthquake previously struck west of the coastal city of Jeddah in October.

Read: Earthquake strikes west of Jeddah in Saudi