Gujarat: Earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hits Mahesana

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 hit struck Gujarat on Friday at 10:15 pm. Tremors were reportedly felt in the capital city of Ahmedabad but no casualties or property damage has been reported. The western state has suffered nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, including the devastating Kutch earthquake in January 2001.
According to the National Center for Seismology, the earthquake was centered around latitude 23.71 N and longitude 72.30 E in the Mahesana region at a depth of 10 km — approximately 219 km north-east of Rajkot in Gujarat. Its epicentre was also located 13 km south-south-west of Patan.
Officials from the Institute of Seismological Research control room in Gandhinagar said people had come out of their houses after feeling the seismic movement. Reports from northern districts of Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkantha and Mehsana claimed that tremors were felt for two to three seconds.
The Kutch district in Gujarat had also felt earthquake tremors earlier this month in the Kutch district. The quake with a magnitude of 3.4 took place early on November 3 with its epicentre located 53 km north-north east of Lakhpat. Days earlier on October 27, Amreli district in the Saurashtra region of the state recorded a tremor of 3.7 magnitude. No casualty or loss of property was reported due to seismic activity in either case.
Tremor are a frequent occurrence in Gujarat and the state remains at high risk for earthquakes. The coastal state was struck by an earthquake of 6.9 magnitude in 2001 — killing thousands and affecting the entire region. The 2001 Kutch earthquake — with its epicentre near Bhachau — was the third largest and second most destructive earthquake in India over the last two centuries. According to the GSDMA data, it killed nearly 13,800 people and left another 1.67 lakh injured.
(With inputs from agencies)