Panic as powerful earthquake hits South Africa

A 5.0 magnitude earthquake has hit the city of Johannesburg in South Africa, sending panic waves across the country as buildings are expected to be on the verge of collapse, the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) reports.

The earthquake which was also confirmed by the South African Council for Geoscience, occured in the early hours of Sunday, with residents reporting tremors all through the night.

“Earth tremor in Johannesburg. Longest and strongest I have felt! Went on for about 30 seconds, it felt like,” a resident wrote on Twitter.

The agency said in a statement that some residents in Gauteng were shaken awake in the early hours of Sunday morning as earthquake hit the East Rand.

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“Automated and preliminary information recorded by the Council of Geoscience indicated a 4.7 magnitude earthquake on Gauteng’s East Rand during the pre-dawn hours of Sunday,” it wrote.

“Initial information on the seismic event indicated it was just below a magnitude 5 quake.

“Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

“There are no reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake,” the agency noted.

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