The Hong Kong Observatory said the quake, measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, struck in the sea around 36 kilometres off the coast of Hong Kong.
HONG KONG: An earthquake rattled Hong Kong on Thursday causing skyscrapers to shake and sending people running into the streets in rural areas, officials and witnesses said.
The Hong Kong Observatory said the quake, measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, struck in the sea around 36 kilometres off the coast of Hong Kong, which sits on the coast of southern China.
Police said there were no initial reports of injuries or casualties, but local radio stations were inundated with telephone calls and e-mails.
Hong Kong is one of the world's major financial centres and has some of the tallest buildings in the world. The city is closely packed with high-rise buildings.
English teacher Kate Hodgson said residents of the village of Shek O on Hong Kong island ran into the streets after the tremor struck.
"I was lying on my bed reading a book when out of nowhere the walls and furniture started to shake. The whole house moved," she said.
"I didn't know what it was because I had never felt anything like it before," said Hodgson, who picked up her nine-month-old baby Mathilda and left her house.
She said the streets of the village were full of people wondering what had happened.
Martine Montagne, 46, who has lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, said her building in the Tai Tam district shook for around three seconds.
"I've lived in earthquake zones before but I have never experienced anything like this in Hong Kong," she said.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory website, just six tremors measuring over 5.0 on the Richter Scale have hit the territory since 1874.
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