Earthquake shakes South Africa, 1 killed

JOHANNESBURG (AA) –  "One man aged 31 was found dead after a wall collapsed on him," Werner Vermaak, Communications Manager for the Emergency medical care and response services ER24 told Anadolu Agency. He said the man was walking next to a building when part of the wall collapsed on him.  Vermaak said no other cases of injuries have been reported so far. An earthquake measuring 5.3 was felt in many parts of South Africa on Tuesday afternoon, shaking buildings in the financial capital Johannesburg. "I almost fell off my chair," Mahad Ali, a resident of Johannesburg, told Anadolu Agency. "My entire shop was shaking," he added. The US Geological Survey said on its website that a 5.3 magnitude quake happened 6km east of Orkney, a mining town in South Africa's North West Province. Authorities are yet to comment on the report. Many South Africans tweeted and posted statuses on Social networking sites, asking friends if they had felt the tremor. "That tremor had everyone running out the office," twitted Katlego. Earthquakes are not entirely uncommon in South Africa. Last year tremors were felt at least three times in different parts of the country. The last major quake hit the country in 1969. It registered 6.3 on the Richter scale.
By Hassan Isilow