MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said an earthquake which impacted parts of the state on Wednesday was mild, and appealed to people to stay alert and not panic as the administration was taking all precautionary steps.

Making a statement in the legislative assembly, Pawar said an earthquake of 4.5 magnitude was experienced at 7.14 am in Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed, Jalna, Nanded, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts in Marathwada, and Washim and nearby areas in the Vidarbha region.

Its epicentre was at Rameshwar Panda village in Kalamnuri taluka of Hingoli district, he said.

The tremors were mild, he said adding there was no report of any casualty so far.

"There was panic among locals, but citizens have be advised to stay alert and the administration is taking all precautionary steps," he said adding the government has taken the incident seriously.