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| Strong earthquake rocks Iceland | Strong earthquake rocks Iceland |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 has hit southern Iceland, 50km (30 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik. | A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 has hit southern Iceland, 50km (30 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik. |
| In the town of Selfoss, near the epicentre, buildings were damaged and up to 20 people needed treatment for minor injuries, reports say. | In the town of Selfoss, near the epicentre, buildings were damaged and up to 20 people needed treatment for minor injuries, reports say. |
| Residents in the capital felt buildings shake and aftershocks were felt in the south-west of the country. | Residents in the capital felt buildings shake and aftershocks were felt in the south-west of the country. |
| The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 1546 GMT at a shallow 6.2 miles (10 km). | The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 1546 GMT at a shallow 6.2 miles (10 km). |
| Pall Einarsson, Professor of Geophysics at the Institute of Earth Sciences in Iceland, told the BBC that the earthquake happened in an area popular with tourists: | |
| "It was close to the town of Selfoss and there is apparently, according to the preliminary news, considerable damage in that town," he said. | "It was close to the town of Selfoss and there is apparently, according to the preliminary news, considerable damage in that town," he said. |
| "Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary where the North America and Eurasian plates are drifting apart. So it's a country of volcanoes and earthquakes and so earthquakes are common but large earthquakes are relatively rare," he added. | "Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary where the North America and Eurasian plates are drifting apart. So it's a country of volcanoes and earthquakes and so earthquakes are common but large earthquakes are relatively rare," he added. |
| People 'terrified' | People 'terrified' |
| "It was quite a lot of shaking... It was quite a big one," Ivar Ingimarsson, a footballer who plays for Britain's Reading club but who is now in Reykjavik, told the BBC. | "It was quite a lot of shaking... It was quite a big one," Ivar Ingimarsson, a footballer who plays for Britain's Reading club but who is now in Reykjavik, told the BBC. |
| Danny Austin, a Briton who has been living in the Icelandic capital for a year, told the BBC the earthquake lasted about eight seconds: | Danny Austin, a Briton who has been living in the Icelandic capital for a year, told the BBC the earthquake lasted about eight seconds: |
| "It was fairly noisy. It sounded like thunder coming from the ground. The whole house was shaking, although we haven't had much damage here," he said. | "It was fairly noisy. It sounded like thunder coming from the ground. The whole house was shaking, although we haven't had much damage here," he said. |
| Audbjorg Olafsdottir, an economist in Reykjavik, told Reuters news agency that "the glass in the windows shook and everybody was just really scared". | Audbjorg Olafsdottir, an economist in Reykjavik, told Reuters news agency that "the glass in the windows shook and everybody was just really scared". |
| "In Selfoss, where it happened, I heard everything is broken and people are standing outside in the street and everybody is terrified," she added. | "In Selfoss, where it happened, I heard everything is broken and people are standing outside in the street and everybody is terrified," she added. |
| Iceland's national broadcaster RUV radio reported that the road between Reykjavik and Selfoss had been closed due to damage. | Iceland's national broadcaster RUV radio reported that the road between Reykjavik and Selfoss had been closed due to damage. |
| Authorities have advised residents in the area to leave their homes because of the possibility of aftershocks. | Authorities have advised residents in the area to leave their homes because of the possibility of aftershocks. |
| Iceland, which has a population of about 300,000, is a geologically unstable volcanic island in the north Atlantic. | Iceland, which has a population of about 300,000, is a geologically unstable volcanic island in the north Atlantic. |
| A spokesman for Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said the country had been expecting further quakes after a series of tremors in the same area in 2000. | A spokesman for Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said the country had been expecting further quakes after a series of tremors in the same area in 2000. |