Telangana’s Mulugu and Warangal residents mistake earthquake for monkey mischief

Residents of Mulugu experience 5.3 magnitude earthquake, initially mistaking tremors for monkeys, causing confusion and surprise.

Residents of Mulugu in Telangana, accustomed to the presence of monkeys, initially assumed that the primates had entered their homes early Monday (December 4, 2024) morning to wreak havoc. However, they soon realized something unusual was happening when walls of their homes began to shake. It took a few moments for them to understand that a 5.3 magnitude earthquake had struck the region.

A. Mangamma, an Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) from SS Tadvai, recounted her experience. “I was sorting things at home when the vessels and cot started shaking. At first, I thought it was the monkeys, as we have many here. But then the walls started shaking too. I was confused and froze. The whole thing lasted for about a minute,” she said.

A. Trishul, a resident of Mulugu, was lying on his bed when he felt the tremors. “The monkeys also began screeching, so I thought they were fighting on the roof of my house. But then I realized it couldn’t be them. I was unsure of what was happening until I called my friends and learned it was an earthquake,” he explained.

The tremors were felt in several parts of the erstwhile Warangal district. Munigala Sudarshan Reddy, an 86-year-old former Village Development Officer (VDO) from Nallabelli village, described seeing his chair and table shaking during the earthquake.

Meanwhile, Ramachandram, a resident of Teachers Colony in Hanamkonda, said he was seated in a chair drinking water when he felt his body tremble. Assuming it was a health issue, he touched his chest. “It was only after watching the news on television that I realized it was an earthquake,” he said.

A 53-year-old man from Mathura Street in Kothagudem also shared his experience, stating that he was asleep when he was jolted awake by the shaking caused by the quake.