New York:

UN Security Council diplomats were shaken in their chairs, planes got briefly grounded, and furniture rattled across New York Friday when an earthquake jolted the city that never sleeps.

No one was hurt, though, and New York’s iconic skyline remained intact.

“I AM FINE,” reported the Empire State Building on its X account.

The tremor had a 4.8 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Near the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey, Dominika Uniejewska, a 50-year-old retail worker, said “I’m still shaking” after being woken up by the quake.

I AM STILL FINE

— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 5, 2024

“I’ve never experienced such a strong earthquake. I did experience some before, but it was nothing compared to that. The whole house was really shaking. The bed was shaking, the house was making rumbling noises,” she said.

“I ran to check on my dog. The dog was okay.”

In Brooklyn, buildings shook, rattling cupboard doors and fixtures, an AFP correspondent reported.

“I’m nervous, I’m shaking. Many people are scared right now,” said Brooklyn resident Ana Villagran, 62.

Shortly before 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) the region was shaken by an aftershock which the USGS said was 4.0 magnitude.

“I AM STILL FINE,” the Empire State building wrote on X.

At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the initial tremor.

“Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto who was speaking at the time. One diplomat joked: “One for the memoirs.”

‘Under control’

A short time later many diplomats’ cell phones blared with the sound of the emergency alert system confirming the quake.

“Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured,” the emergency alert said.

Flight operations were halted at several airports in the region including New York’s La Guardia, Newark in New Jersey and in Philadelphia.

“Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Social media users reported feeling the earthquake from Philadelphia up to New York and eastward along Long Island.

Several users posted images of knocked over garden furniture captioned, “we will rebuild.”

“Earthquakes are uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast, a zone one study called a ‘passive-aggressive margin’ because there’s no active plate boundary between the Atlantic and North American plates,” the USGS wrote on X.

Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in the urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years, USGS said.

US President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Social media users jokingly questioned whether an earthquake coming days before the April 8 solar eclipse, which will be visible across swaths of the northeastern United States, heralded the end of the world.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul acknowledged New Yorkers were “not accustomed” to earthquakes and — at a hastily convened press briefing — warned residents to be wary of any possible aftershocks.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the US state of New Jersey on Friday interrupted the UN Security Council meeting in the neighboring New York City.

In a video posted by the UN on X, Janti Soeripto, the President and Chief Executive Officer of “Save the Children” organization, was briefing the security council on the situation in war-torn Gaza when suddenly they felt the tremors of the earthquake at the United Nations building.

As she took a pause, a fellow member said, “You’re making the ground shake!”.

She then continued further after the tremors subsided.

#BREAKING: “You’re making the ground shake!” UN Security Council hears as mid-morning #earthquake interrupts briefing on the situation in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/1F8TZBHKKu

— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) April 5, 2024

New York City was shaken by a small earthquake with a 4.8 magnitude and an epicenter in neighboring New Jersey state.

There were no initial reports of injuries or damage.

Social media users reported feeling the earthquake from Philadelphia up to New York and eastward along Long Island.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul  said the earthquake hit west of Manhattan and was “felt throughout” New York.

“My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she posted on X.

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.

My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024

Earlier in the day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “scattered measures” for Gaza aid are not enough after Israel told the UN it will allow a “meaningful increase” in aid.

“It’s not enough to have scattered measures — we need a paradigm shift,” he told reporters at the UN’s New York headquarters.

The latest war in Gaza began on October 7 last year when Hamas attacked Israel and killed about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians.

Since then, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more than 33,000 people in Gaza.

(With agency inputs)

New York:

New York City was shaken by a small earthquake on Friday with a 4.8 magnitude and an epicenter in neighboring New Jersey state, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

There were no initial reports of injuries or damage.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 4.8 – 7 km N of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey https://t.co/DuTYZ1kb4X

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) April 5, 2024

In Brooklyn buildings shook, rattling cupboard doors and fixtures, an AFP correspondent reported.

At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the tremor.

“Is that an earthquake?” said Save the Children representative Janti Soeripto who was speaking at the time.

Social media users reported feeling the earthquake from Philadelphia up to New York and eastward along Long Island.   

The iconic Empire State Building reported on its X account: “I AM FINE.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)