- According to National Center for Seismology, the earthquake took place 122 km north-northwest (NNW) of Rajkot, Gujarat at 8:13 pm today
- The tremors were felt in cities like Kutch, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Patan, where a lot of people rushed out of their houses
An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on Richter Scale struck Gujarat’s Rajkot district on Sunday evening. Several parts of the state including Ahmedabad felt tremors as well.
According to officials, the epicentre was near Bhachau in Kutch district.
As per National Center for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake took place 122 km north-northwest (NNW) of Rajkot, Gujarat at 8:13 pm today.
According to reports, the tremors were felt in cities like Kutch, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Patan, where many people rushed out of their houses.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or loss of property.
Taking stock of the situation, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an immediate telephone conversation with the Collectors of Rajkot, Kutch and Patan districts, soon after.
“Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an immediate telephone conversation with the Collectors of Rajkot, Kutch and Patan districts following the tremors in the state and got information about the situation there,” Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated.
People were quick to share the experience on Twitter. Some even related the phenomenon with the ongoing issues in the country, especially the novel coronavirus.
5.5 #earthquake strikes near Rajkot in Gujarat: centre for seismology https://t.co/dTEDmZCTgn pic.twitter.com/kqiUNtmJQy
— NDTV (@ndtv) June 14, 2020
Meanwhile, another earthquake of magnitude 3.0 on Richter Scale occurred in Jammu & Kashmir today evening at 8:35 pm, according to NCS’ initial data. The tremors originated 90 km east of Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, according to the data. No loss of property or lives were reported in the affected region yet.
Earlier, Delhi has experienced a few mild tremors in the past days. On 8 June, a low-intensity earthquake of magnitude 2.1 hit Delhi, according to NCS. The epicentre was around 13 km of the bordering Gurgaon and had a depth of 18 km, the data said.
Till now, the national capital and its adjoining regions such as Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram have experienced a total of 13 jolts in the recent past. All the recent 13 earthquakes recorded in the Delhi-NCR region were of low to medium intensity.
Such quakes of low to moderate intensity tremors, shaking Delhi-NCR in the span of one and a half month indicate that a powerful earthquake could strike the national capital in near future, warned some of the top geologists of the country recently.
However, the NCS director B K Bansal said that there is no need to panic due to the recent earthquakes in Delhi-NCR but it is vital to undertake preparedness and take precautionary measures.
Speaking at a meeting convened by the National Disaster Management Authority on Wednesday, Bansal said given the seismic history of Delhi, minor earthquakes in Delhi-NCR are not unusual, according to a Home Ministry statement.
Around the world, an earthquake with a 5.7 magnitude shook Bingol province in eastern Turkey on Sunday, causing the collapse of a military observation tower which injured three people, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said to Reuters.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) said the epicentre of the quake was in the Karliova district of Bingol.
Moreover, a quake of 5.6 magnitude jolted the Taiwan region of China today, according to media reports.
A strong but deep 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southwest Japan early Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued, reported AFP.
With inputs from agencies
