Two back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 6.2 and 4.6 on the Richter Scale struck Nepal on Tuesday (Oct 3) afternoon in less than half an hour, with tremors also being felt in large parts of the neighbouring country India, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.
Hours later, two more earthquakes were recorded in Nepal, however of slightly lower magnitude at 3.06 pm and 3.19 pm.
According to the NCS, Nepal was first hit by an earthquake of magnitude 4.6 at 2.25 pm local time, occurring at a depth of 10 kilometres. Later at 2.51 pm, another tremor of magnitude 6.2 jolted the Himalayan country at a depth of 5 kilometres, the effects of which were also felt in northern India, including Uttarakhand and Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh states.
The epicentre of the quakes was registered around western Nepal’s Bajhang district while in India, the epicentre was recorded 206 kilometres southeast of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and 284 km north of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
Interior ministry official Rama Acharya told Reuters that the quakes reportedly blocked a major highway in Nepal, an important route in the southern plains. According to local media reports, at least 12 people were injured, but no reports of casualties have come to the fore till now.
“In the Delhi region, the magnitude was 3…We have received responses from people that it was felt in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi, Lucknow region, Jaipur region. A few people in Ahmedabad region are also telling us that they felt it there…” said National Centre for Seismology scientist Sanjay Kumar Prajapati, reports PTI news agency.
The second earthquake in Nepal was so strong that the tremors were felt in India’s capital New Delhi and its adjoining states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
The tremblor, which lasted for around 40 seconds in India, triggered panic among residents.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who was in the office, shared that he had to step out of Nirman Bhawan, along with others, as per the protocol for evacuation in case of tremors.
Even the Delhi Police issued an alert, urging the people to take caution.
“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.
Notably, on Monday, India’s northeastern states Assam and Meghalaya recorded a 5.2 magnitude earthquake.
Northern India and Nepal prone to quakes
The central Himalayan region—which encompasses Nepal and some parts of northern India—is one of the most seismically active in the world.
Over the last 700 years, the region has been witnessing an increase in tectonic stress that might be released now or after 200 years, a 2016 study indicated.
According to seismologists, these quakes are a result of the convergence between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates that formed the Himalayan mountain ranges in the last 50 million years.
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