Four tremors jolt Palghar in Maharashtra, woman dies in house collapse

A woman was killed when her house collapsed after four tremors shook parts of Palghar district in Maharashtra in the wee hours of Thursday, officials said.

The series of tremors caused panic among residents who expressed concern over such mishaps recurring in the district, Palghar disaster management cell chief Vivekanand Kadam said.

A tremor of magnitude 3.8 was felt at 1.03 am and another one of 3.6 at 1.15 am in Dahanu and Talsari talukas, he said.

Two more mild tremors of 2.9 and 2.8 magnitudes were experienced in Dahanu, Talsari and Boisar areas between 1.03 am and 1.15 am, he said.

A woman, Rishma Meghwale (55), was killed when her house collapsed in Vasavlapada area of Dahanu after the series of mild earthquakes, said Santosh Kadam, head of the regional disaster management cell in neighbouring Thane district. On Wednesday also, a tremor of 2.8 magnitude was felt in Palghar, Vivekanand Kadam said.

In all, seven mild quakes were experienced in the district since Wednesday, he said. The epicenters of all the tremors were recorded at a depth of nearly 10 km in Dundalwadi village, he said. Residents in the affected areas found it difficult to move our of their houses as it was raining heavily at that time, the official said.

The district's Dahanu area has been experiencing such tremors since November last year, with most of them centered around Dundalwadi village.

"The epicenter today was again Dundalwadi in Dahanu, which has become the worst affected region," he said.

Residents of some villages in Dahanu and Talasari talukas were forced to move out of their houses and take shelter in makeshift tents, he added. Local revenue officials were instructed to visit the affected villages and check the damage caused, Palghar Collector Kailas Shinde said, adding that he was reviewing the situation.