A day or two after the torrential rainfall ceased in Kerala, a minor earthquake was reported from Kerala’s Alappuzha district. Residents in parts of Thiruvanvandoor gram panchayat in Alappuzha felt tremors that lasted for over a minute.
According to officials of Thiruvanvandoor gram panchayat, about 30 houses have incurred cracks following the sudden tremors. The earthquake occurred by around 12 pm on Thursday.
“All of a sudden there was a loud thunder-like sound. While only a part of the panchayat witnessed tremors, almost all the region heard the loud thunder like sound. We did not understand what initially happened. But on talking with people, they said, they felt the tremors. Window panes of some houses also broke during the tremors,” Geetha Surendran, ward member of panchayat told TNM.
Though no casualties have been reported, the sudden phenomenon caught families by shock. Ward numbers four, five and 13 of the panchayat were where the tremors were felt.
“Only one house has got a deep crack to their house. We could arrange for a temporary rehabilitation but the family said it was not needed,” she said. Parts of the panchayat have been declared as COVID-19 containment zones.
Chengannur Tahsildar and other officials of the panchayat visited the earthquake hit spots.
Kerala had witnessed torrential rainfall over the last week with many parts of the state experiencing floods and landslides. In a major landslide that hit Pettimudi in Idukki district, 55 plantation workers lost their lives. Close to 15 people are still missing including many children.
Though floods of 2018 and 2019 magnitude were not reported, parts of Alappuzha including Kuttanad, low lying regions of Pathanamthitta district, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur had witnessed floods displacing hundreds of people to relief homes. Meanwhile, hilly terrains of Idukki, Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode also witnessed minor landslides.