NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Four earthquakes in quick succession, the strongest being of magnitude 6.2, jolted Nepal on Tuesday with tremors reverberating through parts of north India including Delhi-NCR, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.
An NCS official said the first quake of magnitude 4.6 struck west Nepal at a depth of 10 kilometres at 2:25 p.m., followed by the 6.2 magnitude jolt at 2:51 p.m. Two more quakes (magnitude 3.6 and 3.1) hit the same region at a depth of 15 km and 10 km at 3:06 p.m. and 3:19 p.m., respectively. No reports of damage, injuries or deaths have emerged from Nepal so far.
Strong tremors were also felt in Delhi and other parts of the national capital region. Delhi-NCR residents reported strong tremors after the second earthquake and evacuated offices buildings. Videos of people rushing out of buildings flooded social media.
The first earthquake hit at 2.25 PM. According to the National Centre for Seismology, there was also a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Arunachal Pradesh at 3.27 PM IST and a 3.3 magnitude disturbance in Uttarakhand minutes later. The epicentre for the strongest quake was 206 km southeast of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and 284 north of Lucknow.
We hope you all are safe. Please come out of your buildings to a safe spot, but do not panic. DO NOT USE ELEVATORS! For any emergency help, dial 112,” Delhi Police said in a statement. Tremors were felt in 30 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, Hapur and Amroha. Out of the districts bordering Nepal, tremors were felt by five of them.
Parts of Uttarakhand also experienced tremors. Tremors were felt in Chandigarh, Jaipur and other parts of north India as well, official sources said.
On Monday tremors were felt in Assam and other north-east states after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Meghalaya. The quake hit at 6.15 PM. The epicentre in the North Garo Hills, three km from the district headquarters at Resubelpara.
Nepal lies in one of the world’s most active tectonic zones (Seismic Zone IV and V), making it extremely vulnerable to earthquakes. In April 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 8,000 people and injuring over 21,000.
(Manas Dasgupta)