Quake puts hole in Temple Mount. Lebanon and Syria feel it too.
- From: jgarbuz <jgarbuz@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:13:07 -0800 (PST)
Last update - 07:12 16/02/2008
Islamic Movement blames Israel for quake-induced hole on Temple Mt.
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: Lebanon, earthquake, Syria
The 5.3-magnitute earthquake that jolted Israel on Friday shook open a
large hole on the Temple Mount plaza, near the Dome of the Rock.
Al-Aqsa mosque officials belonging to the Islamic Movement's Northern
Branch covered the hole with wooden planks following afternoon
prayers.
The officials, who also said the quake caused cracks in several local
residential buildings, said the hole was a meter deep, two meters long
and meter and a half wide.
The Islamic Movement blamed Israel for the hole, saying Israel is
digging tunnels in the area that undermine the stability in the area
of the Al-Aqsa mosque. The organization urged Islamic states to take
action to stop Israeli excavations in the area.
The earthquake shook Israel early Friday afternoon and was felt mostly
in the Coastal Plain.
Magen David Adom emergency medical services said that no injuries were
reported.
A Tel Aviv resident, living on the second floor, said: "We felt the
earth move. The bed was rocking, the doors were moving, and the
chandeliers were swinging."
A 4.1-magnitude earthquake was felt earlier this week in parts of
Israel.
In the West Bank, An old house fell onto the main road in Kofin
village west of Nablus, blocking it but not hurting anyone.
The earthquake also shook Lebanon and Syria.
Residents in some areas of Beirut left their apartments and went into
the street after the first jolt shortly after midday, which lasted a
few seconds.
Five people were lightly injured in southern Lebanon, according to
police.
Residents of Damascus, the Syrian capital about a 2-hour drive away,
reported feeling the quake as well.
The quake's epicenter was 15 kilometers northeast of the southern
Lebanese city of Tyre.
Local television stations reported the main force of the quake hit
southern Lebanon where it damaged houses in two villages.
Two small quakes shook Lebanon on Thursday night, according to the
local media.
Earlier this month, the education ministry reported that 45 percent of
the schools and the kindergartens in Israel would face serious danger
in the case of a strong earthquake.
During the Knesset discussion on earthquake precautions held in
January, a representative of Israel's fire department said that in the
case of a serious earthquake, only 29 firefighters would be available
in Jerusalem to handle a situation in which, according to forecasts,
hundreds of houses will collapse and thousands will be killed.
A 2005 forecast maintains that if an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the
Richter Scale were to hit Beit She'an, 16,000 people would be killed,
90,000 people would be hurt and 400,000 would become homeless. 130,000
buildings will collapse or suffer extensive damage.
Related articles:
# Fourth earthquake jolts Israel in two-week period; no casualties
# Mild quake jolts central Israel just days after Dead Sea tremor
# Earthquake shakes Israel, no damage reported
# Have no doubt: The earth will move
.
- Prev by Date: Quake puts hole in Temple Mount. Lebanon and Syria feel it too.
- Next by Date: USQuagmire list
- Previous by thread: Quake puts hole in Temple Mount. Lebanon and Syria feel it too.
- Next by thread: USQuagmire list
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
|
