Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Rattles Victoria, Australia
Residents across the region were awakened by the tremor, with the epicenter located near the Gippsland town of Korumburra.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake jolted residents in Victoria, Australia, in the early hours of Saturday morning. Geoscience Australia recorded the tremor just after 2 a.m., with its epicenter located approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) northeast of Korumburra, a regional town in the Gippsland area. The earthquake's impact was felt widely, particularly close to the epicenter.
One of Geoscience Australia's geoscientists, Hadi Ghasemi, noted that this was one of the more significant tremors the region has experienced in the past two decades. "The shaking was widely felt, close to the epicentre. It was a strong shake but I don't expect any major damage," Ghasemi told ABC News.
The shaking prompted calls to emergency services, and residents reported feeling the ground move. "The windows shook and the whole house creaked. I couldn't sleep after that one. Scary, scary," said Caulfield South resident Jane Barnes, speaking to The Age.
The Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) indicated that more information would be forthcoming and reiterated earthquake safety advice, urging individuals to "drop, cover and hold on" during seismic events.