A moderate earthquake rattled parts of southeast England Saturday morning, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power after the quake in the county of Kent. The only reported casualty was a woman with minor head and neck injuries, the ambulance service said, according to AP. «It literally felt like the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride,» said Sharon Hayles of Stanford, southeast England. The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake struck at 8:19 a.m. (0719 GMT) and was centered under the English Channel, about 14 kilometers (8½ miles) south of Dover. The area is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of London. The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 4.7. Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls, and chimneys collapsed across the county. Energy supplier EDF Energy said several thousand homes were briefly without power after the quake, and the fire service was investigating several reports of gas leaks. Residents said the tremor lasted about 10-15 seconds. «I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me,» said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury, 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of London. «I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down.» The quake's epicenter is near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel. Train operator Eurostar said its services to France and Belgium were operating normally. -- SPA
