Earthquake of 3.5 magnitude in Gujarat's Kutch a day before Cyclone Biparjoy's landfall

An earthquake of 3.5 magnitude was reported on Wednesday in Gujarat's Kutch a day before Cyclone Biparjoy's landfall.

As per the Institute of Seismological Research, Gandhinagar, the epicentre of the earthquake was 5 kilometres West-Southwest of Bhachau in Kutch district. The quake struck at 5:05 pm on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a Cyclone Biparjoy warning for Saurashtra and Kachchh coasts in Gujarat. It is very likely to move nearly northeastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by the evening of June 15, informed the IMD.

"Cyclone Warning for Saurashtra & Kutch Coasts: RED MESSAGE. VSCS BIPARJOY at 1130 IST today over NE Arabian Sea near lat 21.9N & long 66.3E, about 280km WSW of Jakhau Port (Gujarat) and 290km WSW of Devbhumi Dwarka. To cross near Jakhau Port by evening of 15th June as VSCS. @WMO," tweeted IMD.

Watch: Full List of Cancelled Trains due to Cyclone Biparjoy. Also check Short Terminated and Short Originated Trains in Western Railway’s latest update ahead of Cyclone landfall

Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall near the Jakhau coast on the evening of June 15 and will traverse all along the Rann upto Rajasthan thereafter.

Earlier on Wednesday, people residing in the villages in coastal areas of Kutch were evacuated by the BSF at their Border Outpost in the wake of the cyclone. Gujarat, Inspector General, Border Security Force Ravi Gandhi visited the coastal areas of Bhuj to oversee the measures being adopted to mitigate the devastating effects posed by the cyclone and took stock of preparedness to deal with any contingency.

Around 50,000 people living near the sea in eight districts of Gujarat have been evacuated as the cyclone barrels towards the Kutch coast.

Eighteen NDRF teams have been placed in Gujarat to undertake relief and rescue operations, with four NDRF teams deployed in Kutch district, three each in Rajkot and Devbhumi Dwarka, two in Jamnagar, one each in Porbandar, Junagarh, Gir Somnath, Morbi, Valsad and Gandhinagar.