14 aftershocks, tremor of 3.5-magnitude rattle Gujarat's Kutch, day after 5.8-magnitude earthquake

IANS photo

Ahmedabad: Another earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter Scale was recorded in Gujarat's Kutch region on Monday (June 15) afternoon. The same region had recorded an earthquake of 4.4 magnitude 83 km northwest of Gujarat's Rajkot at 12:57 pm on Monday, according to National Center for Seismology. 

A day earlier, on June 14, the same region had recorded an earthquake of 5.5 magnitude with a depth of 10 kilometres at 8:13 pm. As many as 14 aftershocks were experienced in Gujarat's Kutch district, a day after an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hit the area

"We are analysing today's quake scientifically to determine whether it is an aftershock or a new earthquake on a different fault line. As of now, we are counting it and other quakes in the region as aftershocks of the last night's earthquake," ISR scientist Santosh Kumar told PTI.

Apart from the earthquake of 4.6 magnitude, an aftershock of 3.7 magnitude was recorded at 10.02 am on Monday with its epicentre six km East-North East of Bhachau, another ISR official said.

At 1.01 pm, another aftershock of 3.6 magnitude was recorded with its epicentre being 11 km NNE of Bhachau.

Earthquakes of various magnitudes of 3.1, 2.9, 2.5, 2.4, 1.7, 1.6 and 1.4 have been recorded till Monday afternoon, the official said. No casualty or damage to property has been reported so far, he added. 

According to experts, the latest tremors in Gujarat were close to the epicentre of 2001 tremors in Kutch, which claimed lives of over 30,000 people and caused major devastation, leaving thousands homeless.