Two earthquakes registering 2.65 and 3.1 on the Richter Scale struck the west of Jeddah on Sunday, but there were no reports of injuries, loss of life or damage to property.

Zuhair Nawab, president of the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), said that the first earthquake occurred at 7:20 p.m. at a depth of 17.37 km, and 155 km out in the Red Sea. Another earthquake followed 3 minutes later, at a depth of 32 km underground.

He said Jeddah residents did not feel the second earthquake because of the huge amount of water and rock in the sea.

There were no reports of any property damage or loss of life by the Civil Defense, he said.

Nawab said it was natural for the western part of the Arabian Peninsula to have earthquakes. It was important for the media to educate people about earthquakes, he said.

He said municipalities in the region should ensure that all new buildings must conform to construction regulations, to withstand seismic activity.

Abdullah Al-Omari, supervisor at the Center for Seismic Studies and president of the Saudi Society for Geosciences, confirmed that the earthquakes took place.

 
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