Ethiopia struck with an Earthquake magnitude of 5.8

January 4, Addis Ababa: Ethiopia struck with an Earthquake magnitude of 5.8. The US Geological Survey and the German Research Centre for Geosciences reported on Thursday that the earthquake’s epicenter was located 142 km which is 88 miles east of the capital Addis Ababa and was at a shallow depth of 10 km around 6.3 miles.

The same area was earlier hit with a magnitude of 5.5 on Friday and multiple 30 small temblors in the past week, and since Friday 10 quakes have been reported, the latest earthquakes shook the Awash Fenatle District, which is from Afar to Oromia regions at 3:52 a.m. on Saturday.

The head of the Seismology Department and a Professor of seismic science at Addis Ababa University stated that the epicenter was in the middle of Dofen Mountain, Awash Fentale District, in the Afar Region, “The events are increasing in size and frequency from time to time. In particular, this week, data shows that an earthquake measuring up to 5.8 on the Richter scale,” stated the federal government of the state.

“The government is closely monitoring the events with experts in the field. In addition, it has identified the epicenter of the earthquake and deployed emergency workers from various fields in 12 kebeles [districts] to assess the extent of the damage,” the statement from Ethiopia’s government said.

“It is making great efforts to identify the most vulnerable among the 80,000 citizens living in those kebeles and to evacuate them from the area. It is also monitoring the possible impact of the earthquake on social service institutions, economic institutions, and infrastructure.”

The state’s disaster management said they might also take precautions for the volcano that might appear and also evacuated 80k people.