The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) has warned Ghanaians to brace themselves for a possible earthquake following the frequent earth tremors Ghana has been experiencing.
Head of the Earthquake Monitoring Division at the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GSSA), Nicholas Opoku, indicated that Accra is in an earthquake-prone zone, and it is normal for the region to experience such tremors from time to time.
“These small ones happening frequently are a signal that a major earthquake could happen, but as to when we don’t know, just as it takes great nations by surprise, it will come by surprise, and we will not be able to predict when it could happen in Ghana.
“Where our attention should be most is the capital city Accra, because it is very close to the active part of Ghana’s earthquake-prone zone. When the earth shakes, most parts of Accra will be affected more than the other parts of Ghana.” He said on 3FM.
He was speaking in the wake of recent earthquakes that hit Turkey, resulting in over 4000 deaths in Turkey and Syria.
Over 3,549 have perished in Turkey, while 1,600 lives have been lost in Syria.
The 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep, according to the US Geological Survey.
A later tremor had a magnitude of 7.5, and its epicentre was in the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.
Nationally, 8,000 people have been rescued from more than 4,700 destroyed buildings, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in its latest statement.
Background
Parts of Accra on Monday, December 12, 2022, were hit by two earth tremors. The first tremor was recorded a little after 10: 00 am, while the second was recorded around 11: 30 am.
Some places that recorded the tremor included Asylum Down, Adabraka, Gbawe, McCarthy Hill and Mallam.
Again, on Sunday, December 9, 2019, residents living in Weija and Gbawe, both suburbs of the Greater Accra Region experienced brief earth tremors.
According to those who spoke about it, this shook their buildings and got them worried.
A similar incident occurred in March 2018, with residents experiencing tremors as many as three times within a day.