Panic gripped Odisha as most parts of the State, including the twin city of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, experienced a mild earthquake shortly before noon on Saturday. The tremors were felt at 11.43 am and the intensity of the quake was 2 in the Richter scale, said Director of Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar Dr Sarat Sahu. As per reports reaching here from various places, the duration of the quake was about 60 seconds. The quake was also felt in the districts of Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Kendrapada, Puri, Baleswar, Sundargarh and Subarnapur.
There were reports that cracks have appeared in some houses and buildings in these areas. Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra said there has been no loss of life in the State due to the quake. “We are collecting reports from the districts. But considering the intensity of the tremors felt here, I am hopeful that no damages have been caused," he said.
He, however, said that though the tremors were mild, it is most likely that a quake might strike the State again in the next 24 hours or at any time within a month. The Saturday tremors struck twice in quick succession. While the first one was of lesser intensity, the second tremor, which struck about five minutes later, was relatively stronger. In Bhubaneswar, people staying in apartments and many other buildings ran out of their houses in fear. Employees working in the Idco Tower at Rupali Square in the city came out of the building as soon as they felt the tremor. The strong tremor was felt across north and east India, including in national Capital Delhi and Bihar.