Indian subcontinent on Tuesday late evening was hit by strong earthquake tremors of 6.6 magnitude. With Afghanistan’s Hindukush mountain range as the epicentre, the tremors were felt across Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India, including in the capital New Delhi and the National Capital Region. At least three people died, including two in eastern Afghanistan and one child in Pakistan.
A 13-year-old girl was among the casualties who died when a wall in her home collapsed on her. At least 150 people were injured in the northern Pakistani district of Swat where hospitals had declared a state of emergency. Authorities and aid workers reported very strong tremors in Badakhshan and across other northern areas. Officials are trying to reach Badakhshan’s remote villages where there is no internet or phone service to see if there were any casualties or damage.
The epicentre of the earthquake was 156 km deep inside Earth, according to India’s National Center for Seismology. The earthquake tremors were felt at 10:17 PM (Indian Standard Time or 4:17 PM, Greenwich Mean Time). The tremors continued for several minutes.
In India, the earthquake tremors were felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. In Pakistan, the earthquake tremors were felt in capital Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab provinces respectively.
People across the region were seen coming out of their homes, with elderly and children especially seen being escorted by their immediate acquaintances. In New Delhi and surrounding region including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, members of public came out of their apartment buildings as wave of panic spread through the region.
South Asia earthquake: Why Delhi felt earthquake tremors longer than usual?
According to JL Gautam, head of office and Scientist at India’s National Center for Seismology, the Indo-Australian plate has been colliding with the Eurasian plate, he said, while referring to the underground geological plates on which continents are geographically held.
“The Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region is very active seismologically. The reason why people in northwest India and Delhi felt for a relatively long 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,” he said.
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
