Earthquake in Delhi: Strong tremors rock national capital, surrounding areas
Several political leaders, including Congress member Alka Lamba also posted on X, “Earthquake”.
Strong earthquake tremors shook Delhi-NCR in the early hours of Monday. The tremors of magnitude four on the Richter scale were felt at around 5:36 am at a depth of 5 kilometres, the National Centre for Seismology said.
The earthquake, which was felt in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad, was located at a latitude of 28.59 North and longitude of 77.16 East, the NCS added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reacted to the strong tremors.
"Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas. Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions, staying alert for possible aftershocks. Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation," he said.
Asking residents to follow safety precautions, the prime minister urged them to stay alert "for possible aftershocks". "Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation," he added.
The strong jolts also prompted residents to step out of their residential complexes across Delhi-NCR regions.
Notably, the epicentre was near Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education in Dhaula Kuan, an official told news agency PTI. He said that the region has a lake nearby and has been experiencing smaller quakes once every two to three years.
Delhi is considered to be a Seismic Zone IV in the seismic zoning map of India, making it the second highest range in the nation.
Notably, the capital is located around 250 kilometres from the seismically-active Himalayan collision zone and experiences shaking frequently from far- and near-field earthquakes.
‘Scariest few minutes’
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also took to X and informed that major earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi and the surrounding areas.
Former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal was also quick to post on X: "I pray for the safety of everyone".
Delhi Police also checked in on people's safety, asking residents to "dial 112" in case of any emergency during this time. "We hope you all are safe, Delhi!"
Netizens immediately took to social media, saying that they felt violent tremors, one that “forces you out of sleep”. Many others said that the quake shook their beds. People were seen expressing shock over a magnitude-4 jolt being felt in such a strong manner.
Reactions continued to pour in, with one user posting, "This is the most insane earthquake I have felt in my life," and another saying “The scariest few minutes of my life.”
Passengers at the New Delhi Railway Station told news agency ANI that it felt like a train was running underground. "Everything was shaking," one person said. A vendor at the station said that customers started screaming as the tremors made everything shake.
"It was for a lesser time, but the intensity was so high. It felt like any train has come with a very high speed," another passenger, awaiting his train, told ANI.
Last month, tremors of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Nepal were felt in Delhi-NCR and several other northern India regions. However, no damage to any property was reported.
