Gauteng residents experienced a powerful 5.0 magnitude earthquake, causing widespread panic. Images: EMSC/Freepik
Gauteng 5.0 earthquake: Residents share startling stories [WATCH]
Witnesses described the shaking as intense, with alarms blaring and items falling off shelves. Social media flooded with videos capturing the moment.
Gauteng residents experienced a powerful 5.0 magnitude earthquake, causing widespread panic. Images: EMSC/Freepik
An earthquake hit Gauteng in the early hours of Sunday morning, 11 June. The Council for Geoscience’s automatically recorded the magnitude as 4.7. Other reputable earthquake monitors, including the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), said it was a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.
‘I WOKE UP DUE TO THE LOUD NOISE AND SHAKING’
The earthquake’s effects were felt at approximately 2:38 on Sunday, with residents across Gauteng reporting the shaking. The epicentre is somewhere six kilometres south-south-east of Alberton, according to the USGS.
“It was extremely strong it had woken up my entire street, house alarms were going off, and the ground was shaking terribly. I’ve never felt such a strong one,” said a resident in Alberton, per the EMSC testimony section.
“Well over ninety seconds of tremors,” added another Alberton resident. “I was sleeping in bed when I woke up due to the loud noise and shaking. It felt like someone was shaking my bed and wouldn’t stop,” said someone in Ekurhuleni.
“Earth tremor woke us up. Triggered alarm and shook our double-story house vigorously. No major damage, only some paintings/pictures that well off walls and loose items that fell off cupboards. Children and animals were frightened,” said someone in Germiston.
“Been here almost 60 years and are used to light tremors over those years. Don’t think I have experienced one this strong before,” said another Germiston resident.
“The neighbourhood dogs and roosting hadedas felt it too. My little cat was petrified. Her tail was twice it’s [sic] normal size. Eish from a dead sleep to rock and roll,” said someone in Johannesburg.
A Boksburg resident said, “This Earthquake was one of the scariest ones I have ever felt in South Africa. There has [sic] been a few Earthquakes last year, but this one was the most terrifying one. My house shook for like 5 seconds. And I heard the Earthquake afterwards aswel [sic]l.”
VIDEOS OF THE GAUTENG EARTHQUAKE
Social media, especially Twitter, was flooded with reactions to the earthquake. Users also posted CCTV footage, which captured the exact moment the earthquake hit.
According to the EMSC, one of the deadliest earthquakes within 300 kilometres of Johannesburg in recent years had the same intensity as the one felt on Sunday.
On 9 March 2005, a 5.0 magnitude quake near Klerksdorp, about 150 kilometres from Johannesburg, led to two casualties. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake near the same area on 5 August 2014 saw one person die.
