A major 4.4-magnitude earthquake shook buildings across western parts of Britain, with people from Cornwall to Blackpool reporting a strong tremor that damaged buildings, knocked objects off walls and caused lights to flicker. Terrified Britons told of violent shaking, objects falling off shelves or walls, and furniture moving when the UK’s strongest quake in a decade struck just after 2.30pm near Swansea in South Wales.
Several buildings in Bristol were damaged, Swansea University was evacuated and people ran into the streets in fear, as the tremor was compared to everything from a “massive explosion” to a car crash. The earthquake was felt by as many as 10 million Brits as far away as 200 miles from the epicenter in Cwmllynfell, and it was the strongest in South Wales in more than 100 years. There was confusion and panic in the immediate aftermath, as many Britons weren’t sure what they were experiencing as their homes were rattled by the tremor. READ MORE
