Mild tremors rattle Vijayapura, Bagalkot, panic-stricken people spend night outdoors

Mild earthquake, measuring 3.9 on Richter Scale, rattled Vijayapura and Bagalkot cities and several parts of districts, including Babaleshwar, Tikota, Basavana Bagewadi, Almatti and Nidagundi, late Saturday night.

Mild tremors were felt by the residents of the twin districts at 11.47 pm and 11.49 pm on Saturday night and 4.15 am on Sunday. According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, the epicenter of the quake is located near Kolhapur in Maharashtra.

A loud bang in Earth’s crust followed by tremors triggered panic among the residents as they ran out of their houses. And with overnight rain adding to their fear, many spent the night outside their houses anticipating more tremors.

Apart from Bagalkot city, mild tremors were also felt in Bilagi, Jamkhandi and Guledgud taluks of the district.

“I was on the top floor of my house when I felt tremors twice in a gap of three to four seconds at around 11.45 pm. I got down and rushed out of my house. The panic-stricken residents of the colony also came out of their houses,” Amogh Deshpande, a resident of Vidyanagar 22nd Cross in Bagalkot, told DH.

Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner P Sunilkumar said, “According to Mines and Geology department officials, Vijayapura district falls under Zone II, classified as the low damage risk zone. There’s no need to panic. The general public should not pay heed to rumours.”

Not uncommon

In fact, tremors and loud sounds are nothing new to the villagers of several villages in Tikota and Basavana Bagewadi taluks. The residents of Hunshayal, Malghan, Babanagar, Karbhantanal, Masuti villages keep experiencing strange loud sounds from the crust, followed by vibrations.

The district administration had roped in geologists from Bengaluru to study the strange phenomenon, three months back. The experts had clarified that it was not an earthquake. But that did not help in assuaging the villagers’ fears and anxiety.