Tremors in north Karnataka over the past few days create fear of the ‘big one’ and force villagers to abandon their homes

Published : Oct 13, 2021 13:04 IST

Six earthquakes, measuring between 3.0 and 4.0 magnitude on the Richter scale, have hit parts of north Karnataka between October 1 and 12. According to information from the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the latest earthquake took place at around 8 a.m. on October 12. “Earthquake of magnitude: 3.6, Occurred on 12-10-2021, 08:06:27 IST, Lat: 17:36 & Long: 77.30, Depth: 5 Km, Location: Gulbarga, Karnataka,” NCS tweeted. While there has been no loss of life or serious damage to property so far, some villagers residing in the districts of Vijayapura and Kalaburagi have begun to abandon their homes fearing that a massive earthquake could take place at any point.

According to media reports, people residing in Chincholi, Kalagi, Sedam and other takuks of Kalaburagi district are apprehensive of a devastating earthquake and sleep outdoors now. Kannada newspaper Prajavani reported that the residents are dismayed that the district administration has not offered any help or attempted to provide them any temporary accommodation. In Gadikeshwar and neighbouring villages in Kalaburagi district, many residents have left their homes and in photographs shared on social media people can be seen waiting eagerly for buses to leave the village. Pictures of cracks in many of the houses in Gadikeshwar, apparently because of the earthquakes over the past few days, are also being shared on social media.

According to a press release, the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) advised people not to panic. “The intensity observed is low and the earthquake might be felt up to a maximum radial distance of 7-12 km. These types of earthquakes do not create any harm to the local community, although there may be slight shaking observed locally. The community need not panic,” the release stated.

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