No injuries reported in quake

This map - on the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website - shows an earthquake reported 25km south-west of Soweto at 11.14pm. Screengrab: European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website

This map - on the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website - shows an earthquake reported 25km south-west of Soweto at 11.14pm. Screengrab: European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre website

Published Aug 22, 2014

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Johannesburg - No injuries were reported when a 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit Johannesburg in the early hours of Friday morning, paramedics said.

Johannesburg emergency services spokeswoman Nana Radebe said no injuries were reported and they were not called out to help anyone.

ER24 spokesman Werner Vermaak said they were on standby after the quake struck but they were also not called out.

The US Geological Survey said on its website that the earthquake occurred 12km west of Orange Farm, a township south of Johannesburg.

The quake, which happened around 1am, is the second in South Africa in less than three weeks.

On August 5, a 31-year-old man was killed in a mining village near Orkney, North West, when the 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck in the region.

At least 34 miners were injured by the earthquake, and more than 600 houses were damaged.

After the first earthquake, the Council for Geoscience in South Africa said more tremors were expected to hit the country.

Manager of the council's seismology unit Michelle Grobbelaar said more tremors and aftershocks were expected in the coming days.

“More tremors are expected. We can expect one of the same magnitude in future, we just don't know when. We cannot predict.”

Sapa

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