Between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, parts of Gujarat's Saurashtra region were shaken by at least 12 tremors. The magnitudes ranged from 2.6 to 3.8 on the Richter scale, according to the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Seismological Research (ISR). The tremors mainly affected Upleta, Dhoraji and Jetpur talukas in Rajkot district, sparking panic among residents. Rajkot District Collector Om Prakash confirmed 21 tremors in these areas with magnitudes between 1.4 and 3.8. The first tremor, measuring 3.3, hit near Upleta town around 8:43 p.m. on January 8. Experts call this an "earthquake swarm," where many small quakes erupt close together. ISR said the tremors' epicentres were 27 to 30 km east-northeast of Upleta. Residents reported intermittent shaking until Friday afternoon and many left their homes for open fields as a safety measure. Collector Prakash said, "No loss of life or damage to property has been reported so far." The district administration has identified old, unsafe buildings and urged residents to move to safer places. Schools and anganwadis in fragile buildings were closed for a day. Prakash added, "We have communicated with teachers, talathis and sarpanchs after identifying old structures." Seismologists explained that such swarms often result from water seeping into cracks in the earth’s crust. This raises pressure underground, causing small earthquakes. They usually have low magnitude and do not cause harm.