People panic over explosion-like sounds from earth in Kalaburagi, no seismic activity reported

On late Wednesday night, residents of Dastapur, Chimmaidlai and Indrapad Hosalli of Chincholi taluk in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, heard an explosion-like sound from the earth twice, triggering panic and fear among them.

However, there were no seismic activities reported in the time frame at any station or geographic institute, creating a mystery about the origin of the sounds.

“We ran out of the house soon after hearing the sound. We have been hearing such sounds from under the earth for the past three-four years. Last year, the earthquake was confirmed at Gadikeshwar and surrounding villages,” former gram panchayat president Lalappa Jyothi said.

Similarly, gram panchayat vice president Srinivas Chincholikar said some of the residents heard the sound when they were doing a bhajan in a temple. “They rushed out of the temple immediately as it made people quite afraid,” he said.

Chincholi tahsildar Anjum Tabassum said the sound from the earth was heard by people from various parts of the taluk on Wednesday night around 10.58 pm, but it had not been recorded at the seismic station. Tabassum even contacted scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad, who, too, clarified they had no data, or about any reported earthquake.

She said she also contacted the scientists at the seismological station at Sharana sirasagi, who, too, confirmed that there was no earthquake recorded. “People should not panic unnecessarily. The government and the scientists are with the people,” she said.

Last year, repeated tremors and a mild earthquake in Gadikeshwar and surrounding villages of the taluk triggered panic among the residents.

Experts and scientists visited the tremor-hit areas to conduct a study.