4.8 magnitude quake jolts Rajkot citizens from sleep

Rajkot: Residents of Rajkot were jolted out of their sleep after an earthquake of 4.8 intensity shook most parts of the city and villages of the district at 7:40am on Thursday.
The epicentre of the tremor was in Bhayasar village, 19 km from Rajkot, according to the Institute of Seismological Research, Gujarat
While there were no injuries to people, damage to properties were reported from some villages. The tremor was also felt in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts.
“I was in deep sleep and heard a noise as if a big vehicle was passing by. By the time I could realize, I was already trembling in the bed. I rushed out of my apartment.” said Vijay Patel, a resident of Canal Road.
The quake brought back memories of the tremor of 5.8 intensity that had jolted the state on the night of June 14. The epicentre of that quake was near Bhachau in Kutch.
Rajkot Municipal Corporation issued the statement saying that there was no damage to the important installations.
Municipal commissioner Udit Agarwal also directed all the city engineers to verify the condition of building structures. “All the structures like Aji-1 dam, Aji pumping station, filter plant, Nyari-1 dam, Gauridad sewage treatment plant, Raiyadhar and Ghanteshwar water treatment plants, Raiyadhar sewage treatment plant, city bus and BRTS bus stops have been checked and no damage has been found because of the quake.”
Talking to TOI, AR Ranavasia, district development officer (DDO), Rajkot said, “Celling of a trust-run school in Kolithad village near Gondal collapsed while compound wall of Vasavad health centre also crashed. We have sent a team to verify if these properties were already damaged or the collapse was because of the quake.”
Several houses also developed cracks in villages of Rajkot districts, sources said.