A low-intensity earthquake hit parts of Bagalkot and Vijayapura districts, including Babaleshwar, Basavana Bagewadi and Almatti on September 4. A report in the Deccan Herald stated that the tremors, measuring 3.9 on Richter scale, were felt by the residents of the twin districts at 11.47 pm and 11.49 pm on September 4 night and 4.15 am on September 5. No damage to property or roads was reported in any part.
A report in The New Indian Express quoted Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) officials saying that the epicenter of the quake occurred in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district which shares a border with Karnataka. Vijayapura district felt low-magnitude tremors at 11:47 pm, the official said.
The residents of the Vijayapura, Bagalkot cities and surrounding areas rushed out of their homes. Many residents spent the night outside their homes fearing more tremors, stated media reports. The TNIE quoted a resident saying that they experienced tremors twice in 30 minutes which caused them to panic.
The Deputy Commissioner of Vijayapura P Sunilkumar told DH that according to Mines and Geology Department officials, Vijayapura district falls under Zone 2 classified as the low damage risk zone. He assured the public that there was no need to panic and that the public should not pay heed to rumours. He told TNIE that staff of the district administration had been sent to the places where people experienced tremors and that they are in touch with KSNDMC officials.
The DH report further stated that tremors and loud sounds are not new phenomena for the villages in Tikota, and Basavana Bagewadi taluks as the residents of Malghan, Masuti, Babanagar villages [of the taluks] keep experiencing vibrations and loud noises from the crust. Geologists from Bengaluru were roped in to study the phenomenon by the district administration. Their inference that the phenomenon was not an earthquake did not help in pacifying anxious villagers, the report stated.