HYDERABAD: Residents of Hyderabad and parts of Telangana experienced moderate tremors on Wednesday morning, following a 5.3 magnitude earthquake centered in Mulugu district. The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) confirmed the quake occurred at 7:25 am at a depth of 40 km. No loss of life or significant structural damage have been reported.
A resident of Hyderabad recounted her experience saying: “I felt disoriented while cutting vegetables, thinking it was vertigo, until my son informed me about the tremors.”
Wednesday’s temblor marks the second major earthquake in the region after a 5.7 magnitude quake in Bhadrachalam in 1969. Tremors were felt in multiple areas, including Kothagudem, Bhadrachalam, Khammam, Warangal, Hanamkonda, Mahabubabad, Mulugu, Sultanabad, Odela, Kalva Srirampur and other areas in the state.
Prantik Mandal, a senior scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), assured the public there was no cause for alarm. “Earthquakes of this magnitude are not uncommon, and there is no history of quakes exceeding a magnitude of 6 in Telangana in the last 100 years,” he said.
“Hyderabad is seismically stable. Though earthquakes occurred in the past, the Godavari belt and other parts of Telangana never recorded any of a magnitude more than 5.4,” Dr Mandal explained.
The NGRI is analysing the initial data, and further computations may revise the magnitude below 5.3.
Dr Mandal pointed out the infrequent and low-intensity nature of earthquakes in south India, citing a 1993 earthquake in Latur as an exception due to its unexpected timing. The Latur earthquake claimed almost 10,000 lives and displaced lakhs of people.
Mulugu district officials, as directed by collector Divakara TS, are assessing the damage to structures while revenue teams have been told to inspect properties, particularly old and dilapidated buildings.
The epicentre of Wednesday’s temblor was 18.44°N and 80.24°E with a focal depth of 40 km. The epicentre was approximately 85 km northeast of Warangal, 65 km southwest of Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), 218 km northwest of Hyderabad and 212 km north of Vijayawada.
Historical seismic activity in the region
1969: 5.7 magnitude quake in Bhadrachalam.
1983: 4.8 magnitude quake in Medchal
2021: 4.6 magnitude quake in Pulichintala