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PortugueseIsrael was shaken by a mild tremor on Saturday. No one was injured and there was no major damage.
Many Israelis were startled Saturday afternoon when an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale shook large parts of the country. The American Geological Survey said the tremor occurred on the East African Rift, which runs through the Jordan Valley, between Israel and Jordan.
The earthquake, with an epicenter of four kilometers (2.5 miles) southeast of the beachside town of Nuweiba in the Sinai, and about 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of Egypt’s border with Israel, caused no injuries or major damage.
Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv was shut down for 10 minutes in order to verify flight safety.
In the Red Sea town of Dahab, 68 kilometers (42 miles) south of the epicenter of the quake in the Sinai Peninsula, the tremor shook loose clouds of dust that enveloped nearby mountains, according to a witness. The quake appeared to startle local residents and tourists. It also shook the nearby Gaza strip. No serious damage was reported from the earthquake in Egypt or in Gaza.
The last major earthquake to hit the region occurred in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 and injured another 700.
The incident provided fodder for social media humor, with some asking which of the 10 biblical plagues would come next.
By: United with Israel Staff
(AP contributed to this report)
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