Mild earthquake hits western Odisha

Tremors were also felt in Rengali and Kuchinda, in the neighbouring Deogarh district as well, many people came out from their houses fearing an earthquake.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

SAMBALPUR: Mild tremors were felt in many parts of Western Odisha including Sambalpur city on Wednesday at around 5.47 pm.

The earthquake that lasted for a few seconds left locals panicked. Dev Priyadarshi, who is a resident of Ainthapali area in the city, said he felt the tremors and immediately informed about it to his neighbours and friends. “We immediately rushed out and waited for the tremors to subside,” he said. 

“The mild earthquake, with its epicentre in Deogarh district, was recorded around 5.47 pm. The coordinates of the earthquake were latitude 21.6 degrees north and longitude 84.6 degrees east,” Director, Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, H R Biswas said.

Tremors were felt in Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts.  People residing in the affected areas felt tremors for a few seconds, following which many of them rushed out of their houses. 

Bholanath Das who is a resident of Ward 1 in Deogarh town, said he saw furniture in his house shaking and after realising it as the impact of tremors, he rushed out of the house.   

“I was inside my hardware shop when I felt a kind of vibration on the floor. My staff also felt the same,” said Shubam Tiberwala, a resident of Jharsugda.

There has been no report of casualty or damage to property both in Sambalpur and Deogarh districts from the tremors that lasted for a few seconds.   

Low-intensity tremors were also felt in Rourkela and Bonai areas of Sundargarh district. Between 5.48 pm and 5.50 pm, tremors lasting for one to two seconds were felt at Rourkela, but those experienced it failed to immediately relate with earthquake. 

Similar reports were also received from Bonai sub-divisional headquarters.

Odisha lies in Seismic Zone III, which is classified as moderate damage risk zone. Earthquake-prone areas of the country have been identified on the basis of scientific inputs relating to seismicity, earthquakes in the past and tectonic setup of the region.

Based on these inputs, Bureau of Indian Standards has grouped the country into four seismic zones - Zone II, III, IV and V, Sahu said.

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