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Earthquake in Delhi NCR live: Epicentre located in Afghanistan
States across North India recorded strong earthquake tremors at around 10.20 pm on Tuesday.
According to reports, an estimated 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck several countries including Turkmenistan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, Chile and Kyrgyzstan.
States across North India including Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh recorded strong tremors at around 10.20 pm on Tuesday.
The epicenter is believed to be 90 km from Kalafgan in Afghanistan.
According to J L Gautam, head of office and Scientist at National Center for Seismology, the Indo Australian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate and the earthquake is the result of its release. “The HKH region is very active seismologically. The reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt it for relatively longer time is because of the depth. The depth of the fault is over 150 km so primary waves were felt at first followed by secondary waves. Aftershocks are likely now but they can't be forecast,” he added.
Watch | How people in Delhi-NCR, J&K fled homes as earthquake shakes India, Pakistan & Afghanistan
Videos on social media showed panic-stricken people rushing out of homes and buildings after the strong quake rattled various cities.
Shubham, a guest house owner at Katra in J&K told news agency ANI, “Very strong tremors of earthquake were felt and all the devotees rushed out. With Maa Vaishno Devi's blessings, there was no loss of lives and they are returning to their hotels." A local resident of Punjab told ANI that he felt his bed shake. “It was a very strong earthquake. We received messages about the earthquake from Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala.”
According to AFP, residents in Islamabad fled their homes as walls started swaying and the quake was felt across the country. Pakistan's meteorological office said the earthquake was a magnitude 7.7.
There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
In Photos | Earthquake jolts Afghanistan, tremors felt in north India
An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake was at a depth of 184 km (114 miles), GFZ added.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Valparaiso, Chile on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The quake was at a depth of 44 kilometers (27.34 miles) below the earth's surface, EMSC said.
(With agency inputs)
