Jose Luiz da Silva, correspondent in Johannesburg (South Africa)
At exactly 02:38 am today, the people of Gauteng Province were awakened by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake that caused dozens of injuries and material damage to cars, property and other infrastructure.
The epicenter of the earthquake, at a depth of 10 km, was in the East Rand region, more precisely in the city of Alberton, affecting the cities of Johannesburg, Boksburg, Germiston and Bedfordview, in the urban area of Ekurholeni, and also in Pretoria, which recorded the highest shaking during the sixty past years.
There are people who have been hit by things that have fallen from the walls of houses and some buildings have cracks and falling walls and ceilings.
The South African Geosciences Council is investigating the event and does not rule out the possibility of aftershocks three days after the initial tremor. Seismologists just said that johannesburg could experience aftershocks.
JM took steps to contact several Madeira residents in the hardest hit areas, the family of Bayros, Damiao Freitas and Fernanda Sequeira, and found out that the head of Casa da Madera, Alberto Santo and other leaders had conducted an inspection of the facilities of Casa da Madera in Johannesburg, headquartered in Alberton, in the area Earthquake, to ascertain if there is any damage to the buildings of Madeiran House.
“Fortunately, there is no physical damage to be recorded, and I am not aware of any damage to the homes of our citizens, but there is damage in other places nearby,” said Alberto Santo.
It remains to be seen if this episode was caused by seismic activity or as a result of mining activities.
William Shakespeare is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, history, and current affairs. With a keen eye for storytelling and analysis, he produces informative articles that help readers understand the people, ideas, and events influencing modern life.
