6.6 Magnitude Earthquake in Afghanistan Causes Strong Tremors in Delhi-NCR & Other Parts; Results in 11 Fatalities
Written by Sanjay Kumar
Late on Tuesday (March 21) evening, strong earthquake tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby cities for several seconds. The earthquake shocks, which measured 6.6 on the Richter scale, were felt in several countries including Turkmenistan, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The earthquake’s epicentre is believed to be 90 km away from Kalafgan in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s ARY News reported that earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar.
In India, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and western Uttar Pradesh also experienced heavy tremors.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: People rush out of their houses in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad as strong earthquake tremors felt in several parts of north India. pic.twitter.com/wg4MWB0QdX
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
#WATCH | Katra, J&K: Shubham, a guest house owner says, “Very strong tremors of earthquake were felt and all the devotees rushed out. With Maa Vaishno Devi’s blessings, there was no loss of lives and they are returning to their hotels.” https://t.co/EPo3thLz8a pic.twitter.com/f4R2uNMn85
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
#WATCH | Punjab: People rush out of their houses to open space as several parts of north India experiences strong tremors of earthquake.
Visuals from Bathinda. pic.twitter.com/js44tjqnGc
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
Emergency LSCS was going-on at SDH Bijbehara Anantnag during which strong tremors of Earthquake were felt.
Kudos to staff of SDH Bijbehara who conducted the LSCS smoothly & Thank God,everything is Alright.@HealthMedicalE1 @iasbhupinder @DCAnantnag @basharatias_dr @DHSKashmir pic.twitter.com/Pdtt8IHRnh— CMO Anantnag Official (@cmo_anantnag) March 21, 2023
The National Centre for Seismology stated that “An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter Scale hit 133km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan today (March 21) at 10:17 pm IST.”
The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake rocked Afghanistan, and its epicentre was 40 kilometres south-southeast of the Afghan town of Jurm.
In Delhi, the Fire Services received a call about the tilting of a building in the Shakarpur area. However, upon investigation, no building was found tilted.
Metro services in Delhi-NCR were halted as a precautionary measure, and people gathered outside their apartments in Delhi-NCR following the tremors. Residents of Ghaziabad were also seen on the streets.
According to J L Gautam, head of office and Scientist at the National Center for Seismology, “The Indo-Australian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate and this release happened in that region. The HKH region is very active seismologically.”
According to the Associated Press, at least 11 people died due to the earthquake in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Several people were injured in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and more than 100 people were brought to hospitals in the Swat valley region.
This was the strongest earthquake in Delhi in recent times, though the city has witnessed quake jolts in the past few months.
A local Pashto TV channel Mahshriq TV during the earthquake. Brave of the anchor to keep his calm. But shows the impact of the earthquake. #Peshawar #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/7h3FOxBvtF
— Iftikhar Firdous (@IftikharFirdous) March 21, 2023
Delhi, being located in the northern part of India, is not very prone to earthquakes. However, earthquakes can still occur in Delhi due to its proximity to seismically active regions. Here are some of the biggest earthquakes that have been felt in Delhi:
- 2001 Bhuj earthquake: This was a massive earthquake that struck the western Indian state of Gujarat on January 26, 2001. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and was felt in Delhi and many other parts of northern India.
- 2015 Nepal earthquake: This was a devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 and was also felt in Delhi and other parts of northern India.
- 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake: This was a major earthquake that struck the Assam-Tibet region on August 15, 1950. The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.6 and was felt in Delhi and other parts of northern India.
- 2005 Kashmir earthquake: This was a devastating earthquake that struck the Kashmir region on October 8, 2005. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6 and was felt in Delhi and other parts of northern India.
- 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake: This was a destructive earthquake that struck the Uttarkashi region on October 20, 1991. The earthquake had a magnitude of 6.8 and was felt in Delhi and other parts of northern India.