Earthquake of 4.2 jolts Hills

Darjeeling: An earthquake of 4.2 magnitude occurred in Nepal bordering India at 9:15 am on Friday. The tremor was also felt in West Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong districts and contiguous areas. No loss of life or damage of property has been reported.

As per the National Center for Seismology, India, the epicenter of the quake was recorded on coordinates 27.21, 87.92 (latitude, longitude) in Nepal, bordering India. The area is 33km West South West of Pelling, Sikkim and 75 km North-West of Siliguri. The quake had a depth of 10 km.

The quake was a grim reminder of the region being highly prone to earthquakes. In the past also there have been a number of earthquakes recorded in this area. Incidentally this region including Sikkim and Darjeeling is highly vulnerable to earthquakes and lies in Seismic Zone IV. Unchecked and unplanned urbanization has further aggravated the situation feels experts.

A major earthquake had struck Sikkim on September 18, 2011 measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale and had caused extensive damage to life and property in Sikkim and Darjeeling. At least 111 people were killed in the quake. Most of the casualties were from East Sikkim district including 11 deaths in neighbouring Nepal.

A major earthquake had occurred on April 25, 2015 (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) had killed nearly 9000 people and injured another 22,000. It had measured 7.8. Strong tremors had been felt throughout Sikkim and North Bengal.

On 12 September 2018, an earthquake of magnitude 5.5 of the Richter scale had occurred at 10:20 am with the epicenter in the Kokrajhar region of Assam. Tremors were felt in West Bengal, Sikkim and neighbouring Bhutan. A 22-year-old student had then lost his life in Siliguri.