An earth tremor shook homes and offices early yesterday, sparking a flood of calls to the Observatory.
The tremor, which measured four on the 12-point Modified Mercalli Scale, is the 39th in Hong Kong since 1979 and hit shortly after 1am.
A Kwun Tong resident said: 'I was sitting in my living room and felt something moving. Though it only lasted for about two seconds, I was very scared thinking of the terrible earthquake in Turkey.' The Observatory received 19 complaints, most coming from Sai Kung, Kwun Tong and Mongkok. They said they had seen clothes hangers, tables and lamps shaking.
Early analysis put the epicentre of the quake about 160km north-northeast of Hong Kong near Heyuan, Guangdong.
At the epicentre of the quake, scientists said it measured 4.9 on the traditional Richter scale.
Damage was limited to cracks in walls and tiles falling off roofs, officials in Heyuan said, adding there were more than 30 small aftershocks.
