SEOUL, 15 November (BelTA - Yonhap) - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the southeastern city of Pohang on Wednesday, shaking buildings, causing books to fall from shelves and sending tremors to as far as Seoul hundreds of kilometers away. At least four people sustained light injuries, officials said.
The quake occurred at around 2:29 p.m. some 9 kilometers north of Pohang and a series of aftershocks followed, the Korea Meteorological Administration said. It marked the second-strongest quake ever to hit South Korea after last year's magnitude 5.8 earthquake in the nearby city of Gyeongju.
The quake was felt across the nation, including Seoul about 374 km away from Pohang, as well as the island of Jeju, sparking a flood of reports of buildings shaking, books falling from shelves and frames falling off walls.
It also caused brief disruptions in Internet and other communication services.
The region is also home to nuclear power plants and industrial facilities, but there has been no news of any damage to them.
In Pohang, about 100 residents of an apartment complex near the epicenter fled their homes to safer areas after the quake hit.
Students at a nearby elementary school were seen evacuating classrooms.
