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| Second earthquake hits coast town | Second earthquake hits coast town |
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| An earthquake has shaken a coastal town in Kent - in nearly the same spot as a tremor two years ago. | An earthquake has shaken a coastal town in Kent - in nearly the same spot as a tremor two years ago. |
| The British Geological Survey (BGS) said it recorded the earthquake at 1435 GMT in Folkestone. | |
| Assistant seismologist Julian Bukits said it had a 2.8 magnitude, compared with the quake in 2007 which was 4.3. | |
| Resident Terri Julians said the earthquake "sounded like thunder and everything shook". She added: "It was quite scary but amazing." | Resident Terri Julians said the earthquake "sounded like thunder and everything shook". She added: "It was quite scary but amazing." |
| Stewart Smith, who works in the east Kent town, said all the buildings shook for five seconds when the tremor hit. | Stewart Smith, who works in the east Kent town, said all the buildings shook for five seconds when the tremor hit. |
| He said offices in the area had been evacuated. | He said offices in the area had been evacuated. |
| The epicentre of the 2007 quake was in the Channel, but this tremor was about three miles (5km) below Folkestone. | The epicentre of the 2007 quake was in the Channel, but this tremor was about three miles (5km) below Folkestone. |
| A lot of people will have felt it and remembered the last one Julian Bukits | A lot of people will have felt it and remembered the last one Julian Bukits |
| Mr Bukits said there was an "event near Folkestone" at 1435 GMT, but that "it wasn't anything near as big as the one two years ago". | |
| He said the fact that it was not recorded on monitors further away from Folkestone showed it was a very localised event. | He said the fact that it was not recorded on monitors further away from Folkestone showed it was a very localised event. |
| "There are no reports of damage, but a lot of people will have felt it and remembered the last one," he added. | "There are no reports of damage, but a lot of people will have felt it and remembered the last one," he added. |
| He said a preliminary report showed the tremor had a magnitude of 2.8 - a figure that may go slightly up or down. | He said a preliminary report showed the tremor had a magnitude of 2.8 - a figure that may go slightly up or down. |
| Mr Bukits said: "On UK terms it's not that huge. | Mr Bukits said: "On UK terms it's not that huge. |
| "To give a comparison of how often we have a 2.8, I think that occurs four or five times every year." | "To give a comparison of how often we have a 2.8, I think that occurs four or five times every year." |
| Mr Bukits said scientists were still analysing data from the event. | Mr Bukits said scientists were still analysing data from the event. |
| The quake in 2007 saw damage to 73 buildings in Folkestone | |
| BGS seismologist Brian Baptie said : "It was a very small earthquake, even by UK standards. | |
| "It would feel like a truck driving past your house, maybe things on shelves would rattle a bit, but there would be no structural damage expected." | |
| He said said five or six earthquakes of a similar magnitude were recorded every year and it was unlikely to be a precursor to a larger-scale event. | |
| "Only people right at the epicentre would have felt something that might have caused them alarm." | |
| Kent Police said emergency services had received no reports of any structural damage or injuries, but were liaising with partner agencies to ensure officers provided help and support where needed. | Kent Police said emergency services had received no reports of any structural damage or injuries, but were liaising with partner agencies to ensure officers provided help and support where needed. |
| To those who lived through the 2007 earthquake, it was instantly recognisable as a tremor but no one is panicking Sarah Smith | |
| Sarah Smith, a spokeswoman for Shepway District Council, said: "We have just had a trickle of calls and it is nowhere near the scale of the previous earthquake in 2007, which caused widespread damage to buildings." | |
| She said: "The tremor felt like a juddering vibration of the floor that lasted no more than a second. It was very shortlived. | |
| "To those who lived through the 2007 earthquake, it was instantly recognisable as a tremor but no one is panicking." | |
| Harvey Grammar School was closed as a precaution, she added. | |
| Hundreds of homes in the town were damaged by the tremor in 2007, which had its epicentre a few miles off the coast in the English Channel. | Hundreds of homes in the town were damaged by the tremor in 2007, which had its epicentre a few miles off the coast in the English Channel. |
| Seventy-three buildings were so damaged that residents could not return to them because of loose chimney stacks, tiles and masonry. | Seventy-three buildings were so damaged that residents could not return to them because of loose chimney stacks, tiles and masonry. |
| One person, a 30-year-old woman, suffered minor head injuries. | One person, a 30-year-old woman, suffered minor head injuries. |
| Most residents forced from their homes sought refuge with families and friends, but a small number had to be housed in emergency accommodation. | Most residents forced from their homes sought refuge with families and friends, but a small number had to be housed in emergency accommodation. |
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| Second earthquake hits coast town | Second earthquake hits coast town |