From Sanjay Borkar
For Daijiworld Media Network—Margao (CN)

Margao, Jul 4: An earthquake of magnitude 1.09 on the Richter scale was recorded at Valkinni Sanguem, 34 km from here, on Thursday, July 3, around 12.30 pm. There have been no reports of any damage.

According to locals, there was a huge bang like that of a blast, and the area shook for about five seconds. School children were taken by surprise and as they were wondering what was going on, they were made to evacuate the building without any delay.

This  is a vital area for mining ore and a major part of the water supply for south Goa comes from a dam located here. The quake was experienced in the region neibhouring the dam. Cracks have formed on the slabs of the Shree Ravalnath temple, as well as in some school buildings and homes.

Shanta Gawade, a 55-year-old resident of the area, said that she had not experienced anything like this in her lifetime and it was an amazing as well as a frightening experience.