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Earthquake near Loughborough shakes East Midlands | |
(35 minutes later) | |
An earthquake has been felt by people in several parts of the East Midlands. | An earthquake has been felt by people in several parts of the East Midlands. |
The British Geological Survey (BGS) confirmed a 2.9 magnitude earthquake near Loughborough in Leicestershire at 05:20 GMT. | |
It was felt in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire and one man described it as "like an explosion in the distance". | |
The BGS said it was an average tremor for the UK and one million times weaker than the 2011 Japanese earthquake. | |
Leicestershire police and the fire service both said there were no reports of damage in the county. | |
'The house creaked' | |
Reports of the tremor came from several locations in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. | Reports of the tremor came from several locations in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. |
Mike Flood, 45, who lives in Loughborough, said he was awake when the tremor struck. | |
"It was almost like a plane going over or an explosion in the distance," he said. | |
"The house creaked - there was no house moving or pictures falling off the wall, but the house just creaked. | |
"It was strange - you know something's happened and you know it's not a normal thing." | |
A caller from Groby in Leicestershire, told BBC Radio Leicester: "It lasted at least 20 seconds and some DVDs fell off a shelf in my room." | |
Another caller, from Leicester, said: "It sounded like an underground train coming and everything wobbled." | |
Seismologist Brian Baptay from the BGS said: "The East Midlands does have history of small to moderate earthquakes. | Seismologist Brian Baptay from the BGS said: "The East Midlands does have history of small to moderate earthquakes. |
"The shaking would last for a few seconds - it can be a pretty scary experience." | "The shaking would last for a few seconds - it can be a pretty scary experience." |
Julian Bukits of BGS said: "Earthquakes generally have to be of 4.5 to 5 magnitude to cause damage." | Julian Bukits of BGS said: "Earthquakes generally have to be of 4.5 to 5 magnitude to cause damage." |
Both the BGS and the US Geological Survey reported the tremor, which was about 18km (11 miles) below ground. |