Rajkot, 09 January (H.S.):

At least 21 low-to-moderate tremors ranging from 1.4 to 3.8 magnitude rattled Gujarat's Saurashtra region Thursday night through Friday afternoon, sending residents of Rajkot district's Upleta, Dhoraji, and Jetpur talukas fleeing to open fields in widespread alarm, though no lives lost or structural damage reported.

Rajkot Collector Om Prakash confirmed the swarm, centered 27-30 km west-northwest of Upleta, with the strongest 3.8 quake striking around 6:19 a.m. Friday; nine aftershocks exceeded 3.0 magnitude, felt palpably amid post-monsoon seismic upticks in this non-fault-line zone.

Precautionary Exodus Amid Seismic Vigilance

Villagers vacated homes post-initial 3.3 jolt at 8:43 p.m. Thursday, enduring intermittent shakes every 20-30 minutes; experts attribute activity to seasonal subterranean adjustments, urging continued vigilance without immediate peril.

District administration activated early warning protocols, monitoring via National Centre for Seismology for potential escalation in this vibration-prone coastal belt.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar