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Quake, 5.6 intensity, rocks western India

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale struck south-west India overnight, including parts of Bombay, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, reports said on Monday.

Maharashtra state police told AFP that they had received reports of a strong tremor hitting Satra, Krad, Patan, Koynagar, and Dhepewadi.

"But there are no reports yet of any damage," one spokesmen said.

News agencies said the quake reached 5.6 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre at 14.1 degrees north and 73.6 degrees east, and was located in the Arabian sea near Goa.

A senior official at the instrumentation centre of the meteorological department said the tremor hit at 11:33 pm IST on Sunday night.

Agencies quoted the deputy director general of the regional meteorology centre, Sharavan Kumar, as saying tremors were reported from Goa, Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Alibag and in other parts of Bombay.

The last major earthquake to hit Maharashtra state was on September 31 in 1993 and killed some 10,000 people in and around Latur. Another quake in Koyna in 1967 left 5,000 people dead.

Officials in Goa and Bombay also told AFP that people had reported the tremor but so far there had been no reports of damage.

However, United News of India said several houses were damaged in the tremor which lasted 28 seconds.

"There has been damage reported to the Koyna Dam though, but Dhavawadi, a village close to the epicentre, had some of its houses caving in or developed cracks," UNI said.

It quoted an observatory spokesman as saying three separate tremors were felt within a five minute time span from 11:35 pm.

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