Ambikapur, October 14: An earthquake of 4.8 magnitude shook parts of Korea district in the northern region of Chhattisgarh in the wee hours of Friday, officials said. This is the third time that an earthquake has hit Korea district in the last three months.

"A 4.8-magnitude earthquake was felt in Chhindand area near Baikunthpur, the headquarter of Korea district, around 5.28 am. The epicentre of the quake was 10 km deep from the earth's surface," a government official said. Earthquake in Northeast: Back-To-Back Quakes Jolt Manipur and Assam, No Casualties Reported.

It was a light, moderate-category earthquake that did not cause any major destruction, he said, adding that however, it may have resulted in damage to kutcha (mud) houses located within 20 km radius of the epicentre of the earthquake.  So far, no loss of lives or damage to property has been reported, officials said.

Local officials have been instructed to carefully monitor the situation and report if damage has been caused, they added.  Earlier, earthquakes were recorded twice in Korea district in July this year and once in adjoining Surajpur district in August.  Earthquake in Manipur: Quake of Magnitude 4.5 Hits Moirang.

On July 29, an earthquake of 4.6 magnitude had hit the Baikunthpur area. Before that, a quake of 4.3 magnitude was recorded in the same area on July 11. On August 4, a tremor of 3.0 magnitude was felt in Gangoti area of Surajpur.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)