Strong tremors in Delhi, nearby areas as 5.9 earthquake hits Nepal

New Delhi/ Kathmandu: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday afternoon with tremors also being felt in the north-western region of India, including Delhi and Jaipur.

A 5.9-magnitude tremor also jolted the remote mountainous districts in Western Nepal on Tuesday, killing one person and damaging dozens of houses in the region, officials said.

Meanwhile, the National Centre for Seismology said the quake struck at 2.28 pm and the epicentre was located in western Nepal, about 148 km east of Pithoragarh in the border state of Uttarakhand.

Reports of shaking furniture, ceiling fans and wall frames came from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan as the strong tremors struck the Himalayan region.

A senior seismologist said the epicentre of the quake was located in the 2,400 km Himalayan Collision Zone that stretches from the Hindukush mountain ranges to as far as present-day Myanmar.

The Himalayan Collision Zone is a seismically active region and the 5.9 magnitude temblor was the fourth earthquake along the 2,400 km region in 24 hours ending at 3 pm on Tuesday.

In a tweet in Hindi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said: “Tremors were felt in Delhi. I hope all of you are safe.”

The earthquake, with epicentre in the Mela area of Bajura district in Nepal’s Sudurpaschim province, hit the region at 2:43 pm local time, said Lok Bijaya Adhikari, head of the Earthquake Measurement and Research Centre.

A 35-year-old woman was killed when a falling rock hit her while she was cutting grass in the nearby forest in Bajura district, situated 450 km West of Kathmandu, police said.

Around three dozen houses were damaged in the quake that struck the remote mountainous region, a police officer said, adding that they are collecting further information about more losses caused by the tremor.

A temple in the Badimalika municipality also developed cracks, police said.

A landslide triggered by the earthquake resulted in the death of over 40 sheep, the police said, adding that one person was injured in the incident. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Cachar region of Assam on Monday at 7:12 pm and two quakes of 3.2 and 2.8 magnitudes were reported in Bhutan at 10:55 a.m. and 12:53 pm on Tuesday. “It was scary as the tremors hit,” said Shantanu, who resides in a high-rise tower in Noida.

Amit Pandey, a Delhi resident, said: “I was on the fifth floor of one of the blocks at the Civic Centre. I felt a growling noise beneath my feet and a mild shake when the tremor passed through perhaps.” Many others in the towering Civic Centre, the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, also felt the tremors which hit when the House proceedings were underway.

Tremors were felt in parts of Rajasthan’s capital city of Jaipur as well. There was no immediate report of loss of life or property from there.

Tremors were felt in many parts of Uttarakhand, including Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, and people came out of their homes and offices in panic. There were no immediate reports of damage to property or injury to anyone, officials said.