Latur, city in western India, in eastern Maharashtra state, located on the Osmanabad Plateau. Although primarily known as a regional marketing center, Latur also has a number of manufacturing industries, including cotton ginning and oil mills. The city is served by a state highway and by a rail line connecting it to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Chennai (formerly Madras). In 1993 a powerful earthquake rocked both Latur and the surrounding area, killing an estimated 15,000 people. Population (1991) 197,408.
