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Earthquake shakes capital

Published 16.12.08   09:51 

An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale hit Sweden this morning, effects felt in Denmark The US Geological Survey has recorded an earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale hitting southern Sweden at 6:20am, with Copenhagen and other parts...

The epicenter was located 65 kilometres east of Copenhagen in the Scania region of Sweden and the tremors lasted for several seconds.

Reports are coming in from central Copenhagen, Bornholm, Roskilde and eastern Jutland of people being woken from their sleep by shaking beds and furniture.

Copenhagen Police duty officer Jens Kristiansen told politiken.dk that they have received many calls from concerned residents, but no reports of injuries.

‘It began with the operators from the emergency call centre ringing us, because the furniture was shaking and the lamps were swinging.’

Kristiansen also said that while police have an emergency preparedness plan, it does not take earthquakes into account.

It is not unusual for an earthquake to shake Denmark, although this is the biggest one to hit since 1985. Denmark experiences on average two to ten earthquakes annually, but the majority are too small to be felt, according to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

Although some say they were unaware a quake had rolled through, those that did feel it said their first thought was terrorism or a plane crash.

‘I rushed out onto my terrace to see if there had been an accident at the airport nearby,' one Amager resident told The Copenhagen Post. 'It wasn't until I got to work that I found out it was an earthquake.'

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The Copenhagen Post