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IMD says Rajkot blast was due to quake, cops disagree

A Correspondent

Residents of Rajkot went into a panic Wednesday afternoon on hearing a huge explosion.

However, there seems to be a difference of opinion between the local authorities and the Indian Meteorological Department, New Delhi, over the cause of the blast.

Sudhir Sinha, Rajkot's police commissioner, told rediff.com, "We too heard the blast, it was audible over a large area, and people have deserted their homes and shops. The noise was caused by a farmer near Madhapar village who used a detonator to extract water from his land. I have sent out a team to get hold of him."

"A few months ago, a similar blast was heard at Veraval Shapar where a farmer had also set off a detonator to extract water," he added.

However, the IMD stated that the noise was caused by a tremor measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale which struck Bhuj, and its aftershock was felt in Rajkot with a loud sound.

The IMD also confirmed that eight aftershocks have been registered since Wednesday morning, all of them with the epicentre in Bhuj.

The first aftershock, felt at 0259hrs Wednesday, had an intensity of 3.7 on the Richter Scale. The second one, which was felt five hours later at 0726 hrs, measured 4.3 on the Richter Scale.

And between 0800 hrs and 1040 hrs, five aftershocks were felt.

The IMD also said it had been flooded with calls from all over the country about the explosion in Rajkot.

Since most of the tremors were above intensity 4 on the Richter Scale, the IMD does not rule out further damage to the affected structures.

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