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Strong earthquake hits Sheki, aftershocks expected (UPDATE)

4 September 2015 12:38 (UTC+04:00)
Strong earthquake hits Sheki, aftershocks expected (UPDATE)

By Nigar Orujova

The Republican Seismological Service Center called on citizens to not trust inaccurate information being disseminated about tremors.

An earthquake was recorded at 09:49 a.m. local time 29 kilometers from Azerbaijan’s Sheki region on September 4, measuring 7 on Richter scale at its epicenter. The depth of the earthquake focus was 13 kilometers, with a magnitude reaching 5.9.

The Center also noted that as the earthquake in Sheki was strong and aftershocks could be felt throughout the day.

The tremors were already felt in Mingachevir, Yevlakh, Ganja, Goychay and other regions. There is no information on the scale of damage yet.

“The earthquake is a natural phenomenon, a process that takes place in the bowels of the earth. Our goal as the Seismological Service Center is to convey to the public accurate information in connection with the ongoing. We call on the population to not believe gossip, inaccurate information, and trust only official information,” said in a statement.

Head of the Republican Seismological Service Center Gurban Yetirmishli said aftershocks expected in the earthquake zone in Sheki for several days.

“In such strong earthquakes, along with the appearance of cracks on the walls, the destruction of old buildings may occur. Currently, the Commission of the Emergency Situations Ministry is examining the situation on the ground,” he said.

He went on to add that the staff of the Centre is also in the earthquake zone. Special equipment will be installed in the regions. “With it, we can determine the scale of destruction and examine the earthquakes that already happened.”

After the quake, Azerbaijani Railways are operating in heavy security mode, said Nadir Azmammadov, the head of the company’s press service.

According to him, Department of Infrastructure staff is now working to determine the safety of railways, bridges, stations, power supply systems, road signals, and communication lines. The inspections will continue until the all of the aftershocks have subsided, he added.

The Communications and High Technologies Ministry also works to clarify whether the earthquake caused damage to communications infrastructure in the regions, head of the press service Mushfig Amirov said.

“So far, no problem occurred in the field of communication. In case of any problem, measures for its elimination would be taken immediately,” Amirov said.

Meanwhile, another earthquake hit the border cities of Azerbaijan and Iran on the morning of September 4.

The quake hit the cities of Parsabad, Bileh Savar, and Germi in the Ardabil Province of Iran near the country’s border with Azerbaijan.

The quake measured 5 points on the Richter scale at its epicenter and registered at about a magnitude 4 in the residential areas nearby.

Earlier, Gurban Yetirmishli said minor earthquakes with small magnitudes occur in Azerbaijan on a daily basis.

Scientists believe that seismic zones with the potential to produce dangerous force cover the entire country, while the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt passes directly through Azerbaijan.

The most seismically active zones in Azerbaijan are the Shamakhi and Ismayilli regions.

Last year was marked with an intensification of seismic processes as well as the most powerful earthquakes that Azerbaijan has seen in the past 15 years.

Six earthquakes measuring over 5.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Azerbaijan in 2014, releasing a tremendous volume of energy.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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