Evacuation called as another quake hits Saudi

Saudi authorities on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in part of the western Al-Madinah Province after another earthquake struck the area, Saudi daily Arab News reported.

Authorities ordered a complete evacuation of the area after the quake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the Al-Ais area late on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people have been leaving the areas for nearby cities such Madinah and Yanbu as since the weekend after earthquakes measuring over 4.0 on the Richter scale struck on Sunday.

The newspaper reported that roads were “choked with people leaving for open areas”.

There have been no fatalities reported, but older buildings have been damaged, according to local media.

“The magnitude of the earthquake has been rising notably,” according to a statement by the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) quoted by the newspaper.

An SGS team has found large cracks in the earth and smoke coming out of them, prompting fears of a volcanic eruption, the newspaper said.