Borkena
Toronto – Another earthquake hit Awash Fentale area of the Afar region of Ethiopia. It was a recurring occurrence which started on Sunday in the afternoon and until in the morning.
No causality is reported so far although there was property damage whose estimate is unspecified.
It measured 5.1 Richter magnitude scale. Before this one, there were two other earthquakes earlier this week.
The earthquake is also causing faulting in some areas near Fentale. Mesfin Arega, a resident of Metehara town, told DW Amharic “In Samure Afar region which is on the rear of Fentale Mountain is faulting. The cracks from the faulting and the gorge is widening.”
Abdu Mohammed, Awash 7 kilo residents, said residents are concerned about the continuous earthquake in the area.
“Yesterday and today there was a high earthquake. Nowadays people are evacuating their residence. Especially in Amibara, Melkaworer, Sabure and Doyoa asphalt roads are faulting and cracking. People are in great worry. Due to the higher nature of the vibration people are sleeping outside,” he said as cited by DW Amharic.
Residents are asking the government to give due attention to the development, undertake study and introduce precautionary measures.
They share observations about nearby mountain ranges. “Dofan, a mountain linked to Fentale, was experiencing a severe earthquake,” they said. They say communities close to it should be evacuated.
Professor Atalay Ayele – researcher at Addis Ababa University Geophysics, Space Science and Astronomy department – said the shock from the earthquake was felt in the capital Addis Ababa which is over 216 kilometers far from the location.
VOA Amharic cited Awash Fentale Agriculture and Disaster Prevention Office as saying that it has started relocating residents from the area for safety.
There had been recurring earthquakes in the area in September and October this year. Their Richter scale magnitude was lower compared to the one observed this Sunday.
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I have been keeping an eye on that region for any possible earthquake for years now especially since the 2004 mega earthquake that hit Indonesia and where the tsunami it caused killed close to 230,000 people in more than 10 countries including those in Somalia and Yemen. I know from an earthquake that shook the small village where I was born during my early childhood years almost 8 decades ago. It was in the middle of the night and I still remember how my father grabbed me and ran outside followed by mom and a sister. The entire residents were outside the whole night. There was no major damage but it was frightening to everyone. There is a folktale in my Itu unwritten history about a major earthquake that hit in Awash area and how that triggered a devastating flash flood and volcanic eruption that wiped out the entire region. So that was embedded in the resident’s psyche. There is evidence that might have happened centuries ago. There are a few deep cracks in the area that are several hundreds feet deep. You can still see them on Google maps.
It seems that the entire tectonic plate has started slipping for the last few years stretching from the Indian Ocean. Now it is hyper acting. There were more than 12 tremors in the Awash and Metahara just in the last two days alone. One of them was at Abomsa in the middle of the Arsi Zone. I am worried because these tremors now could be just a warm up for a big one to come that can shake up even the capital from its foundation. These tremors have already displaced people there.
Let’s hope and pray that will never happen. Insha’Allah!!!
There was another big one at 5.1 that hit near Awash area just a moment ago. This is not dying down. 5.1 can be destructive if it hits residential areas because houses are not built with earthquakes in mind. This is worrisome to me. May The Good Lord save those noble people.
Some evidence out there suggests that some of the earthquakes we have seen nowadays around the world could be manmade. ”They said” A few countries now have a technology that can be used to trigger an earthquake in the areas that have been already flagged with earthquake potential. Why lots of such activities in recent years in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia showed resistance and progress in so many fields in the past 6 years, becoming free and stable country.
Is someone trying to stop Ethiopia from completely syncing with the East Block? Is this a warning to stop Ethiopia?
I can’t believe I am living in the era where people can actually create an earthquake,
Geta hoy leyeteh debdeb…
The same area just got hit by the biggest one yet at 5.8. This earthquake is not dying away but it getting bigger and more frequent. The ground is splitting in many areas and leaving many huts cracking into two pieces. The usual and normal Article volcano is gushing out steam, mud and fire. This is not a good sign. I call upon experts in seismology among our Diaspora to provide much needed expertise so a much more disaster can be avoided. This is not a manmade disaster that can’t be accurately predicted. But the government has been adequately forewarned. If this earthquake keeps creeping up and hit major metropolitan area like the capital, it is going to be a disaster where millions could perish. This is not funny, okay.
Make that: The usual and normal Mount Fentale Volcano is gushing….