2024-04-06 01:43:41
CTK
Updated 9 hours ago
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 struck the New York metropolitan area today, writes the AP agency, citing the US Geological Service USGS. According to her, the tremors may have been felt by more than 42 million people, but no extensive damage has been reported so far.
According to the USGS, the epicenter of the earthquake was located near the town of Lebanon in New Jersey, and according to the first data, the tremors had a magnitude of 4.8. The USGS reported on the tremors at 10:23 local time (16:23 CEST). According to information from the Geological Survey, more than 42 million people could feel the earthquake. Earthquakes are rare in the northeastern United States. This time, however, tremors were felt from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, according to Reuters.
About 30 minutes after the initial tremors, New York authorities said on social media that no damage or injuries had been reported in the city. Mayor Eric Adams was notified of the earthquake. His spokesman, Fabien Levy, said authorities were still assessing the possible effects of the earthquake, although they had not yet received any reports of damage. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said authorities were not taking the earthquake lightly as there could be aftershocks. The White House announced that President Joe Biden had been informed of the earthquake and “is in contact with federal, state and local officials.”
Charita Walcott, a 38-year-old Bronx resident, said the quake was “like a strong rumble that lasted about 30 seconds.” At United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, the director of Save the Children abruptly stopped speaking to the Security Council about the war in the Gaza Strip as the cameras began to shake. The Palestinian representative at the UN, Riyad Mansour, subsequently remarked: “The earth is shaking because of you.”
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has advised airlines that they can expect flight delays at New York airports until midday, approximately 30 to 45 minutes, due to the earthquake. Some New York-bound flights were diverted to other airports, according to the tracking website FlightAware. “Air traffic is being restored as quickly as possible,” the FAA said.