PremiumStrong earthquake tremors felt in Delhi NCR. The quake measuring 7.7 on richter scale strike Pakistan & parts of India. The epicenter is believed to be 90 km from Fayzabad in Afghanistan.
A day after major jolts hit Delhi-NCR region, minor tremors of about 2.7 magnitude on the Richter scale were felt in the region at around 4.42 pm on 22 March, said National Center for Seismology. Read here
At least 13 people were killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan by a strong earthquake felt across thousands of kilometres, but the region appeared Wednesday to have dodged the mass casualties usually associated with a tremor of such scale.
The United States Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.5 quake was centred near Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan, but the depth of 187 kilometres (116 miles) mitigated extensive damage.
The death toll of earthquake that hit Afghanistan and shook Pakistan rose to 12, reported PTI. Atleast 9 people lost their lives in Pakistan and 160 were left injured. Whereas atleast three people died in Afghanistan, reported PTI citing local media.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. The tremors of the earthquake were also felt in many parts of north India, including the Delhi-National Capital Region.
In Pakistan, earthquake tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kot Momin, Madh Ranjha, Chakwal, Kohat and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.
The unflinching spirit of doctors came into display when a team of doctors continued their operation even when the whole operation theatre was shaking due to earthquake tremors in Kashmir's Anantnag on late Tuesday. The doctors were performing a lower-segment cesarean section when the earthquake tremor shook the place. In the video, it was seen how the whole operation theatre and device was trembling due to earthquake. However, the doctors stood there and resumed their work immediately after the earthquake was over.
The high intensity earthquake, that jolted Afghanistan and Pakistan and caused heavy damage also raised worry for India. Eventhough the earthquake didn't cause any damage to any part of India, but it was registered as the 6th earthquake that shook India in March. Notably, hours after the 6.6 magnitude earthquake, a mild intensity earthquake shook Himachal Pradesh during the early hours on Wednesday.
On 2nd March, a 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit the eastern region in Nepal. Immediatly after the first earthquake, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was observed on March 3. Its epicentre lied 10 km deep along Arunachal Pradesh. On March 7, 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Andaman and Nicobar islands. Next day, 4.0 magnitdue earthquake hit Glgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. On March 12, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit Wangjing, Manipur. With this, the sixth one was hit on 21 March followed by another quake in Himachal Pradesh region.
At least 3 killed and 44 people injured in Afghanistan after an earthquake of 6.6 magnitude shook Afghanistan and Pakistan. The total death toll due to the natural disaster is expected to be at least 13. Amid high intensity of earthquake, there are chances that casualties may rise as the earthquake reported was powerful and felt in most parts of the country.
"There could be more casualties as the quake was so powerful in most parts of the country," including Badakhshan, Takhar, and Laghman provinces, Sharafat Zaman, a spokesperson for the public health ministry said to Khaama Press, reported Reuters.
Notably, people in northwest India and Delhi felt the tremors for a relatively longer time. According to seismologitsts, the reason why most people in northwest India and Delhi felt tremors for longer time is because the depth of the fault was more than 150 km.
“As we know that the Indo-Australian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate and this release happened in that region. The Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region is very active seismologically. The reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt for a relatively longer time is because of the depth. The depth of the fault is over 150 km so first primary waves were felt and then secondary waves. Aftershocks are likely now but they can't be forecast,"JL Gautam, head of office and Scientist at the National Center for Seismology told HT.
As the 6.8 Richter scale magnitude shook Pakistan on Tuesday night and left deep cracks in several buildings, Pakistan officials said at least 19 houses were partially damaged in the aftermath in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, reported Reuters.
As the northern India shooked by a high intensity earthquake centred in Afghanistan on Tuesday, Uttarakhand CM, drew attention towards the proactive approach to minimise the impact of such natural disaster in the Himalyan region.
While attending a different program on Tuesday, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Earthquakes, landslides, cloud bursts, forest fires etc natural calamities keep on happening here, due to which it is natural to cause huge loss of people and money. The only way to deal with these disasters is a proactive approach. The outbreak of disasters can be minimized only by a proactive approach."
The CM inaugurated inaugurated the "International Conference on Use of Modern Technology for Disaster Management" in Dehradun on Tuesday.
After receiving shocks of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake, centred in Afghanistan, a mild intensity earthquake of magnitdue 2.8 shook Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. The earthquake's epicentre was located in Himacha's Kinnaur and hit the state at 12:51 am. As of now, no casualty has been reported.
Hours ago, the tremors were felt in almost all parts of the state around 10:17 on Tuesday night. The earthquake forced people in Shimla, Mandi and several other places ran out of their houses in panic but no loss of life or property has been reported so far.
An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale jolted 4 km north-north west of Jayapura, Indonesia on Wednesday.
Jayapura is the capital and the largest city of Indonesian province. The earthquake hit Jayapura at 01:02:45 (UTC 05:30) on Wednesday, at a depth of 32.8 km. The earthquake epicentre was 2.498°S and 140.704°E, respectively. As of now, no casualty has been reported so far.
Immediately after earthquake centred in Afghanistan, jolted the national capital region and adjoining Noida area last night, Delhi Fire Services received a call informing about the tilting of a building in the Shakarpur area. Immediately after the authorities reached on the spot, no building was found tilted. Even the residents of the building were unaware of the hoax call
After a 6.6 Richter scale of earthquake jolted Afghanistan and Pakistan, the powerful tremors were even in the Delhi-NCR region, UP, and Jammu and Kashmir. "I have experienced earthquakes in the past but the tremors this time were strong and long enough to make me rush out of my apartment with my children...I am scared to sleep now," Vidhya Bhalla, a resident of Delhi's New Friends Colony, said Tuesday night.
Bhalla's account was echoed by a cross-section of residents of Delhi-NCR after a 6.6 magnitude temblor on Tuesday night was felt across large swathes of northern India as the earthquake struck the Hindukush region in Afghanistan. Panic gripped in Noida as strong tremors jolted the national capital area.
After the earthquake left around 9 people dead and several people injured, some of the buildings had also developed crack after the earthquake.
After feeling sharp tremors, many people fleed their homes and offices Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, some reciting verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, reported AP.
At least 9 people were killed and nearly 150 injured in Swat valley region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province local media reported.
Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services said nine people were killed when roofs collapsed in various parts of northwestern Pakistan. Dozens of others were injured in the quake, which was centered in Afghanistan and also felt in bordering Tajikistan. Most of the injured were later discharged from the hospital, Faizi added.
The earthquake triggered landslides in some of the mountainous areas, disrupting traffic.
At least two people were killed and 150 injured in in Pakistan's Swat valley, local media reported.
The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department.
An interim report from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that two people died and six people were injured from incidents of roof, wall and house collapses while eight homes were partially damaged in the province.
However, Swat District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur said that two people died in the district while 150 were injured, adding that they were moved to Saidu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
More than 100 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley region of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in a state of shock, AP reported.
Terrified people collapsed, and some of them collapsed because of the shock of the earthquake, Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for Pakistan's emergency services said.
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.
A strong earthquake lasting for at least 30 seconds was felt across much of Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India Tuesday night, with the United States Geological Survey putting the magnitude at 6.5.
"It was a terrifying tremor. I had never felt such a tremor before in my life," Khatera, 50, a resident of Kabul, told AFP after rushing out of their fifth-storey apartment in the capital.
The USGS said the quake was centred near Jurm in northeastern Afghanistan and had a depth of 187 kilometers (116 miles).
The region is frequently hit by earthquakes -- especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, but the quake was felt strongly across much of Afghanistan, Pakistan and even further east in parts of India.
"So far, thank God, there has been no bad news of casualties. We hope that all citizens of the country are safe," tweeted the Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
(- AP)
A strong earthquake lasting for at least 30 seconds was felt across much of Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India Tuesday night, with the meteorology department pegging it to be 6.6 on richter scale.
"People ran out of their houses and were reciting the Koran," an AFP correspondent in Pakistani city of Rawalpindi said, with similar reports coming from elsewhere in the country and in Afghanistan.
More than 1,000 people were killed and tens of thousands made homeless after a 5.9-magnitude quake -- the deadliest in Afghanistan in nearly a quarter of a century -- struck the impoverished province of Paktika on June 22 last year.
Mahesh Palawat, Vice president Meteorology And climate tweeted, “It wa a strong #earthquake. Worse is over now. Aftershocks are usually milder. Of moderate intensity. Can damage old buildings in the vicinity which are damaged by main event. May not be felt in #India. no worries. #AfghanistanEarthquake #earthquake"
Mahesh Palawat, Vice president Meteorology And climate Change says no damage expected in India as it's the joint of Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates lies in zone 5
According to reports, the earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale hit countries including Turkmenistan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The epicenter is believed to be 90 km from Kalafgan in Afghanistan.
People rush out of their houses in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad as strong earthquake tremors felt in several parts of north India.
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