Tremors were felt across Bahrain yesterday (April 16) for the second time in a week after a massive earthquake struck Iran, a report said.

Thousands were evacuated from high-rise buildings in the Seef District, the Diplomatic Area and large parts of Manama after fire alarms went off because of the shockwave, at around 1.40pm, which left many feeling dizzy, according to the report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Many working in the country's financial centre, were also sent home for the day amid fears of an aftershock.

A Disaster Management Centre was also setup yesterday after National Disaster Management Committee members called for an urgent meeting.

The Interior Ministry's operations room was inundated with calls from citizens who felt the tremor and wanted to know what was going on.

All Interior Ministry departments were put on high alert, including the Civil Defence Directorate, the police departments, the Coastguard Directorate, the General Directorate of Traffic and rescue police.

Police patrols were also out in force to report any cases of panic or injuries.

The Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) emergency department was also on high alert and extra staff were put on standby. However, no injuries were reported.

Tremors were also felt in Juffair, Bab Al Bahrain and parts of Hoora.

The GDN learned that offices and banks in Seef were all asked by authorities to be evacuated till 8pm as a precautionary measure against a possible second wave of tremors. – TradeArabia News Service