An earthquake registering five on the Richter scale was felt throughout much of Israel, especially in the north around Haifa, yesterday. The Israel Seismological Institute said the epicenter was deep under the seabed 18 miles east of Haifa.
There were no casualties, apart from several cases of shock and one death from a heart attack, in Haifa. Over 600 homeowners reported to the municipality that cracks had developed in the walls of their dwellings, and engineers were sent to examine the damage.
There were temporary electric power cuts in Tiberias and the Jordan valley, and one of the four major generating units at the Hadera power station was put out of commission, but engineers hoped to have it back in commission by tonight. Very slight tremors were felt by some people in Tel Aviv and further south.
Israel lies on what is known as the Turkish-Syrian-African fault line, a majorquake area, but not at its more vulnerable sections.
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