QUETTA, Oct 10: Quetta and its adjoining areas were rife with rumours whole day on Wednesday when a mild tremor measuring 3.0 on the open ended Richter scale struck the city. The local meteorological department failed to identify the cause of this jolt.

People at homes and those working in offices came out in the open at 10.37am when city and its adjoining areas were shaken by the mild tremor.

With no plausible explanation available for this tremor, all sort of rumours spread in the city. The most widespread rumour was that a missile has hit the airport or its vicinity.

This reporter made repeated enquiries with the local meteorological department, city administration and all relevant offices. But none offered any explanation. The meteorology department in the morning was not in a position even to identify the location of the tremor.

In noon, after several enquiries however, the seismic wing of the department revealed that cause of the tremor was an explosion 88km north west of Quetta.