Some areas of the Ghanaian capital, Accra, experienced a 2.8 magnitude earthquake on the morning of Friday 10 March 2023. The news was confirmed by the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) in a press release.
The tremor which occurred at 9.49am was “lightly felt in High Street, Ridge and other parts of central Accra”, the GGSA said, adding that “the epicentre is located 1.5km offshore near James Town in the Greater Accra Region”.
“The recorded magnitude is indicative of the extent of the earthquake. The earthquake is minor and therefore not expected to cause any damage,” the document added before explaining that such events are natural, and that this is “difficult to predict”.
The Ghana Geological Survey Authority has urged the public to remain calm, saying there is no cause for alarm and people can go about their “normal activities”.
Accordingly, “The Authority is committed to continuously monitoring these events and informing the public in an appropriate manner to ensure public safety and minimise risk. Public education and awareness on earthquake awareness and response is important and is currently being undertaken by the Authority,” the statement said.
In addition, there is now a lot of news about earthquakes. It is recalled that the phenomenon occurred on 6 February in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria, with a magnitude of 7.8. More than 44,000 people lost their lives in the region during these earthquakes. Among the victims was a Ghanaian footballer named Christian Atsu, whose body was found under a collapsed building in the city of Antakya after nearly two weeks of searching.
In Ghana, earthquakes are frequent. The most recent one in December 2022 occurred in Adabraka, Gbawe, McCarthy Hill, Kwabenya and Mallam with a seismic movement of magnitude 4.0.