Metro operations halted briefly after tremors

The earthquake felt in the city around 4pm on Sunday, affected the services of the Delhi Metro briefly, delaying trains by around 2-3 minutes in every station.

The earthquake felt in the city around 4pm on Sunday, affected the services of the Delhi Metro briefly, delaying trains by around 2-3 minutes in every station.

The earthquake felt in the city around 4pm on Sunday, affected the services of the Delhi Metro briefly, delaying trains by around 2-3 minutes in every station. (HT Photo)

“All trains were stopped at their respective locations and were restarted after the tremors. Even after the trains were started, the speed was maintained at 40kmph as a precautionary measure, till it reached the next station. No damage was reported,” a statement released by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) read.

The statement said the trains were running at normal speed on all lines by 4:35pm.

The earthquake hit the Hindukush region of Afghanistan prompted people to step out of their homes.

There were no reports of any injuries or damage to property here as a result of the tremors, which saw high-rises and malls being evacuated as a precautionary measure.

“The earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale at a depth of 190km hit the Hindukush mountain region at 3:58 pm,” said JL Gautam, operations head of National Centre for Seismology.

As the tremors were felt, people in high-rises ran outside to safety while the services of Delhi Metro were halted for about three minutes.

The tremors were also felt by people who were moving in vehicles on the road. Cars halted abruptly and many motorists pulled over by the roadside.

People took to social media to post their reactions to the tremors even as many prayed for the safety of others.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was in Delhi Secretariat when the tremors were felt, tweeted, “Earthquake!!! It was really scary! I could see plants and furniture shaking on the sixth floor office of Delhi secretariat. Wish all is well”.

Officials of the three Delhi municipal corporations said they had received no information about any untoward incident.

In north India, tremors were also felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana and Rajasthan.