Latur tremor leads to panic, houses develop cracks

PUNE: Panic gripped residents of Latur district after some houses developed cracks when a moderate intensity earthquake hit this region, official sources said.

According to meteorological department officials here, the tremor was registered yesterday at 18.1 degree north latitude and 76.7 degree east longitude at 1240 hrs at the part time MET observatory in Killari region, set up after the 1993 killer quake.

Reports from Latur said people ran helter-skelter after the tremor but there were no loss of life or property.

Assistant meteorologist M T Jadhav told on Friday the magnitude of the quake was recorded 4.1 on the Richter scale, and the nature of its impact appeared more unsettling as compared to the tremors of similar magnitude recorded since 1993.

There were no aftershocks registered after the mid-day quake but it was preceded by a 2.7 magnitude tremor in the Koyna region of Satara district in the morning, he added.