5.0 magnitude earthquake shakes Johannesburg

5.0 magnitude earthquake shakes Johannesburg

A 5.0 magnitude quake has hit Johannesburg, a city in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

The quake which occurred in the early hours of Sunday was said to have affected buildings in the city.

As reported by the United States Geological Survey, the quake occurred around 2:38 am, and at 10 kilometres below the surface.

Terrified residents who felt the tremor took to social media to post pictures and videos showing the impact on buildings and minor structural damage to walls.

Crisis 24, an international risk management group, said the tremors were widely felt throughout the entire region, and could slightly disrupt service delivery.

The organisation added that no records of damage or injuries have been reported.

“A magnitude-5.0 earthquake occurred in northeastern South Africa at around 02:38 June 11. The epicenter was about 17 km (10 miles) southeast of Johannesburg,” the statement reads.

“The tremor occurred at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles), and moderate-to-light shaking was probably felt in northeastern South Africa, including Johannesburg, and light-to-weak shaking likely occurred in far southeastern Botswana, and Eswatini.

“There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake; however, significant damage is unlikely. It could take several hours until authorities can conduct comprehensive damage assessments, especially in remote areas. Light aftershocks are likely over the coming days.

“Officials may temporarily shut down transportation infrastructure in the tremor zone to check for damage. Minor disruptions could occur during shutdowns, but service will likely resume quickly if no damage is found. Utility outages are possible, particularly near the earthquake’s epicentre.”

Crisis 24 advised that residents should apply caution and consider vacating multistory buildings where shaking occurred until authorities confirm their structural integrity.

Earthquakes are not frequent in South Africa but they have resulted in fatalities and injuries in the past. In 2014, a 5.3 quake that struck the country killed one person and injured some gold miners in the south-west of Johannesburg.