Earthquake today: Quake of magnitude 3.1 jolts Uttarakhand

Earthquake today: The National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported that an earthquake of magnitude 3.1 on the Richter Scale occurred on May 28 at 6:43 am in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh.

The Seismology department took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to inform the public about this seismic activity. The post read, “EQ of M: 3.1, On: 28/05/2024 06:43:17 IST, Lat: 30.15 N, Long: 80.28 E, Depth: 5 Km, Location: Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.” The tremors were felt in Pithoragarh at 6:43 am.

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The earthquake struck the state at a time when the Char Dham Yatra is taking place. The Char Dham Yatra, a pilgrimage to the four sacred sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, began on May 10 and holds great significance for devotees. The pilgrimage follows a clockwise route. It starts at Yamunotri, then moves on to Gangotri, continues to Kedarnath, and finally concludes at Badrinath.

News agency PTI reported that top officials of Uttarakhand, including Chief Secretary Radha Raturi and DGP Abhinav Kumar, appealed to Yatris undertaking Char Dham yatra to not arrive without registration. He further urged the pilgrims to come only on dates allotted to them in their registration document to avoid any inconvenience.

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“The rush of pilgrims in the initial days of the yatra this year has surpassed all past records. It is a little over a fortnight since the yatra began. PTI quoted DGP Abhinav Kumar as saying. He added, ”But, the number of pilgrims has already crossed the 12-lakh mark. These regulatory measures are meant only for the convenience and safety of the pilgrims."

More than 650 pilgrims en route to Badrinath were turned back from the Gauchar checkpoint as they had not completed the mandatory prior registration, according to the SSP office in Chamoli. Additionally, around 120 vehicles carrying these unregistered pilgrims were also sent back.