In a major development, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter Scale hit 83 km northwest (NW) of Rajkot, Gujarat on Monday. It's the 2nd earthquake in Gujarat in less than 24 hours! Reportedly, the earthquake struck the state at 12:57 pm on Monday, as per National Center for Seismology (NCS).

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On Sunday night, an earthquake of 5.3 magnitude shook parts of Gujarat with its epicentre near Bhachau in Kutch district, officials said. An official of the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said that the tremor was recorded at 8:13 pm. The quake was felt in cities like Kutch, Rajkot, Ahmedabad and Patan, where many people rushed out of their houses. "Its epicentre was located 13 kilometres north-north east from Bhachau in Kutch district," he said. The National Center for Seismology has pinpointed the exact location of the tremor in Kutch near Bhuj. No report to damage to property or life is reported so far. The short span tremor triggered panic and people came out on to the streets for safety.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani spoke to district collectors of Kutch, Rajkot and Patan and ordered them to take a stock of the situation and assess the damage if any. The Gujarat Chief Minister also instructed the Disaster Management Cell's control room to be operational and be on standby.

Meanwhile, an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 hit Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Monday, officials said. The quake occurred at 4.36 am at a depth of five km. There were no reports of any damage due to the tremors, the officials said.

Earlier, Director of the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) had said that there is no need for panic over the recent seismic activities in the Delhi-NCR region. Director B.K. Bansal said: "However, it is important to undertake preparedness and mitigation measures to reduce the earthquake risk."