One killed in Palghar tremors

At least one person was killed in tremors measuring between 1.5-3.8 on the Richter scale that rocked parts of the district here in the early hours on Thursday, officials said.

"The deceased, identified as Rishya Meghwale, 55, was sleeping in his home in Vasavlapada in Dahanu sub-district when at least two earthquakes struck the region", Palghar Disaster Management Officer Vivekanand Kadam told IANS.

He said top district civil, police and disaster management officials have rushed to the quake-prone areas to verify other casualties and damage to property. Kadam said the deceased Meghwale's kin would be entitled to compensation as per government policy.

Locals said that Meghwale died after a wall crashed on him due to the tremors that kept occurring at frequent intervals between 1.03 a.m.-3.15 a.m. on Thursday.

At least two tremors measured between 3.6 and 3.8 on the Richter scale and others below 2.5.

Many villagers were forced to stay indoors in view of heavy rain which continued to lash the district since the past two days.

Palghar has been rocked by tremors since the past nearly 10 months, creating panic among the locals.

Top national and state agencies are investigating the cause of these quakes which had earlier claimed the life of a minor boy. IANS