A earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was experienced in different parts of Kozhikode district and bordering areas of Malappuram district around 2.15 p.m. on Wednesday, sending a wave of panic among the people.
No loss of life or large-scale destruction of property was reported from any part of the district. Though simultaneous caving in of wells was reported from a few places, including Pavangad in the city, there was no conclusive evidence to link it to the quake.
The tremor was felt in most parts of the city, including West Hill, Palayam, Mankavu, and Feroke, besides interiors of the district such as Mavoor, Mukkam, and Chathamangalam.
The seismograph at the Peechi Seismic Observatory showed a magnitude of 3.4 after the quake, said Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) director N.P. Kurian. “The epicentre of the tremor was 4 km north of Karipur in Malappuram district,” Dr. Kurian told The Hindu .
People rushed out of their houses and workplaces when the tremor struck. Many called up newspaper offices after experiencing the tremor. “It was accompanied by a sound similar to a thunder from a far away place,” said Salma Hameed, a housewife, who rushed out of her residence at Areekkad, near Meenchanda, in the city after she felt the tremor.
Many stayed away from their offices in high-rise buildings in the city anticipating after shocks. “But no further tremors were felt after that,” said A. Muraleedharan, a businessman from Pantheerankavu.
A few like A.K. Nadeer Ali from Chathamangalam, 28 kilometres away from the city, did not know that it was a tremor that they experienced. “I knew it was an earthquake only when the television channels began to flash the news,” he said.
People were concerned as it was the third time that they were experiencing earthquakes of different magnitudes in the region in recent times. The earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia around two months ago was felt in most parts of the region.
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