2 earthquakes shake up Israel*

Several tremors felt from Negev Desert to central Israel; no injuries,
damage reported. ‘I just lied in bed and felt the room move,’ Tel Aviv
resident recounts

Ynet
Published: 02.10.07, 08:17 / Israel News

Two earthquakes measuring 3.6 and 4.5 on the Richter Scale were felt
from the Negev Desert to the Sharon region in central Israel at around
12:15 a.m. Saturday.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Rami Hofstetter of the Geophysical Institute of Israel told Ynet that
the earthquakes were small to moderate in magnitude, adding that the
epicenter was on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.

The earthquakes occurred about a minute apart, he said.

“The chair I was sitting on began to wobble,” a Rishon Letzion resident
recounted, “but the house itself did not shake.”

Aharon Deutch of Tel Aviv told Ynet “I live on the 6th floor; I was
lying in bed when I felt the room start shaking.”

A Netanya resident said the earthquake that hit the area lasted about
two minutes.

In 2004 an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale rattled the
country; several injuries were reported and a number of buildings were
damaged.