Mumbai: Hingoli, Maharashtra: Residents of Hingoli district in eastern Maharashtra were jolted awake by an earthquake that struck at 5:09 am on Monday, 20th November. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale, lasted for a few seconds and was followed by another tremor shortly after. Many people, who were sleeping at the time, rushed out of their houses in panic. Some of them said they felt their beds and furniture shaking.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the epicenter of the earthquake was located 5 kilometers below the earth’s surface in the Hingoli district, which is about 255 kilometers away from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, and 265 kilometers away from Nagpur. The NCS said that the earthquake was of tectonic origin and was caused by the movement of the Indian plate. The NCS also said that the earthquake was felt in parts of Telangana and Karnataka, besides Maharashtra.
No reports of any damage to life or property have been received so far due to the earthquake. The district administration of Hingoli said that they are monitoring the situation and have asked the people to stay calm and alert. The administration also said that they have not received any requests for relief or assistance from the affected areas.
This is not the first time that the Hingoli district has experienced an earthquake. In 2016, a series of mild earthquakes hit the district, causing cracks in some buildings and walls. The NCS then attributed the earthquakes to the presence of a fault line in the region.
The earthquake in Hingoli was preceded by another earthquake that occurred in the Arabian Sea on Sunday evening, 19th November. The NCS said that the earthquake, which had a magnitude of 4.5 on the Richter scale, occurred at 6:36 pm and was centered about 300 kilometers west of Mumbai. The NCS said that the earthquake was of oceanic origin and was caused by the movement of the Arabian plate. The NCS also said that the earthquake was not felt on land and did not pose any threat of a tsunami.
On the same day, two other earthquakes were also recorded in Nepal and Jammu and Kashmir. The NCS said that an earthquake of magnitude 3.9 occurred in Nepal at 3:45 pm and was felt in parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The NCS also said that an earthquake of magnitude 2.6 occurred in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir at 11:30 am and was felt in some nearby areas. The NCS said that both these earthquakes were of tectonic origin and were caused by the movement of the Himalayan plate. The NCS said that no significant damage or casualties were reported due to these earthquakes.
