Measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale,its epicentre was in Junagadh district An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale and epicentred in Junagadh district jolted Gujarat on Thursday night,with tremors being felt across the state and in parts of Mumbai as well. People ran out of their homes in Saurashtra and from some apartments in Ahmedabad. Over 10 people were reported injured in Junagadh district.The quake was felt around 10.48 pm and was centred 20 km south-east of Sasan Gir near Vanthali town in Junagadh district. It lasted about 25 seconds. The US Geological Survey recorded the quake at a magnitude of 5 and said it was 15.5 km deep,located at 21.181°N and 70.540°E. The epicentre is home to Asiatic lions. Injuries were reported from villages around Gir. A spokesperson of GVK EMRI's 108 ambulance service confirmed seven injuries by wall collapses. There were no deaths,and all the injured have been shifted to hospital. Three people were injured in Talala town when they jumped off the first floor of a building in a hurry to get out of their homes. A woman working as a labourer at farm house of Vaju Ganda in Khamba village of Talala taluka was severely injured when she jumped off from the first floor. House of one Uma Kanna in Maliya Hatina also was reportedly collapsed. All five family members ran out safely. Almost all residents of Vanthali town were out in the open. With memories of destructive 2001 earthquake intact,people were too scared to go back inside. "I felt as if I am not in my bed but in a train. It shook for quite a while. We all ran out of house,carrying our children in hands," said Jamnadas Karelia,a 60-year-old resident of Vanthali. Karelia said he and others from the town had no plans to go back inside. They have decided to sleep out in the open. Till midnight,there were some reports of damages to buildings from Haripar and some surrounding villages. In Talala near Gir forest,there was a power failure. Tremors were also felt in the cities of Rajkot,Bhavnagar and Junagadh. "Suddenly,the floor started shaking. I realised it's an earthquake. We all ran out of the house," said Deepak Tanna,a resident of Kevlam Society on Kalawad Road in Rajkot. The state was rocked by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on January 26,2001,which left around 13,000 people dead,besides causing widespread destruction. The worst-affected was the Kutch region,which was the epicentre. The Kutch coast,across the gulf from Saurashtra,did not feel any tremors this time,residents said.
