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Earthquake hits

south west India

BOMBAY: 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 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.

The Press Trust of India (PTI) 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 see near Goa.

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

PTI 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. Another quake in Koyna in 1967 left 5,000 people dead.

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

However, the United News of India (UNI) said several houses were damaged in the tremblor which lasted 28 seconds.ÑAFP