Four mild earthquakes struck Maharashtra's Marathwada region in the early hours of Thursday, sending residents rushing out of their homes as tremors were felt across Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani and Latur districts.
According to the Disaster Management Department, the first tremor, measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale, was recorded at 1.37 am. It was followed by three more quakes of magnitude 3.6 at 2.15 am, 3.9 at 2.17 am and 4.1 at 3.23 am.
Officials said the epicentre of all four earthquakes was located near Shirli village in Vasmat taluka of Hingoli district.
The back-to-back tremors created panic among residents, many of whom stepped out of their homes as the ground shook repeatedly within a span of less than two hours. Despite the scare, authorities said there were no reports of casualties or damage to property.
Hingoli District Collector Rahul Gupta appealed to the public not to believe rumours or unverified messages circulating on social media regarding the earthquakes.
"Citizens should rely only on information issued by the district administration, the district disaster management cell and official government channels. In the event of any emergency or damage, they should immediately contact the local administration or the district disaster management cell," Gupta said.
Thursday's seismic activity revived memories of the devastating 1993 Latur earthquake, one of the deadliest in India's history. While Marathwada has experienced occasional mild and moderate tremors in recent years, particularly in Hingoli and Latur districts, officials said this was the first instance of four earthquakes occurring in such quick succession in the region.
Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and no after-effects or further damage have been reported till Thursday morning.
