Series of earthquakes rattle Ethiopia, triggering evacuations

Addis Ababa: Evacuations were underway in Ethiopia Saturday after a series of earthquakes, the strongest of which a 5.8 magnitude jolt, rocked the rem...

Addis Ababa: Evacuations were underway in Ethiopia Saturday after a series of earthquakes, the strongest of which a 5.8 magnitude jolt, rocked the remote north of the Horn of Africa nation.

The quakes were centred on the largely rural Afar, Oromia and Amhara regions after months of intense seismic activity.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Ethiopia's government Communication Service said around 80,000 people were living in the affected regions and the most vulnerable were being moved to temporary shelter, without specifying how many.

"The occurrences of the earthquakes are increasing in terms of magnitude and recurrences," it said in a statement, adding that experts had been dispatched to assess the damage.