Strong tremors were felt in the national capital and adjoining areas as an earthquake of 4.0 magnitude struck the region early on Monday. There are no reports of any injuries or collateral damage. The depth of the earthquake was only 5km.
Notably, shallow earthquakes, originating five or 10 kilometres below the surface, tend to cause more damage than those originating deep below the surface. Panic gripped the region as buildings started shaking due to the earthquake. Residents rushed out of their apartments and houses for safety.
Netizens shared videos of of the earthquake on social media showing houses, electric poles, fans and solar panels swaying due to the earthquake.
A woman in her 50s who was out on a morning walk in E Block of Noida Sector 20 said, “‘Hum log bahar park me walk kar rahe the toh pata nahin chala. Lekin kafi tej tha. Log bahar aa gaye. (We were walking in the park, so we didn’t feel it strongly. But it was quite strong. People came rushing out)’,” she told PTI.
Naresh Kumar, a resident of West Delhi, said this was the first time that he had experienced such a strong tremor.
Ratanlal Sharma, who was waiting at New Delhi railway station for a train to Prayagraj, said he was at the platform when he felt a sudden jolt. “It felt like a train suddenly came to a screeching halt,” he said.