An earthquake hits Kutch amidst fear of Cyclone Pebargui

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Kutch: In a double whammy for the region, the Kutch earthquake struck on Wednesday amid the looming threat of Cyclone Pebargui. The quake, which measured 3.5 on the Richter scale, struck 5 kilometers west-southwest of Pachao, Kutch.

The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 5.15 pm, was located at latitude 23.291 and longitude 70.293, with a depth of 18.5 km, the Gujarat government’s Earthquake Research Institute said.

This latest earthquake comes just weeks after the last seismic event in Kutch, which occurred in May 2023. The previous quake, which had a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale, hit Khavda district in Kutch near the Indo-Pakistan border.

As the region braced for the approach of Cyclone Biparjoy, parts of Saurashtra and Kutch region witnessed heavy rains with strong winds, the Meteorological Department reported on Wednesday.

According to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), in the last 24 hours, 54 talukas across Saurashtra and Kutch districts received more than 10 mm of rain. The districts of Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Junagadh experienced particularly heavy rains.

Among the affected districts, Khambali taluka in Devbhumi Dwarka district recorded the highest rainfall with 121 mm, followed by Dwarka with 92 mm and Kalyanpur with 70 mm during the said period, as reported by SEOC.

The combination of the earthquake and heavy rains has added to the challenges for the people of Kutch, who are already preparing for the impact of Cyclone Pebargui.

The authorities continue to closely monitor the situation and are working diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of the affected population.

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