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Tremors felt in north India after 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan

newsnow9April 4, 202602 mins

New Delhi: An earthquake of 5.9 magnitude jolted several parts of north India on Friday night, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.

The tremors, which lasted a few seconds, were felt in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Haryana. There were no reports of any damage or casualties.

The epicentre of the earthquake, which struck at 9.42 pm, was in Afghanistan at a depth of 150 km, the NCS said.

The earthquake’s epicentre was located near Darawan in Afghanistan, at Latitude 36.398 North and Longitude of 70.878 East.

Residents in Delhi-NCR and nearby regions reported feeling mild shaking, with some stepping out of homes and offices as a precaution. Mild earthquake tremors were experienced across other parts of north India as well, from Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The shaking, which was felt at around 9:46 pm, lasted only a few seconds. People in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad also felt tremors, reported Reuters.

People in several areas said they noticed sudden vibrations, especially in multi-storey buildings. A resident in Chandigarh said he felt a noticeable jolt for a short duration, while another person living on a higher floor in Zirakpur said they considered stepping outside but the tremors subsided quickly, as per a PTI report.

In a related development, the National Center for Seismology recorded a separate, smaller earthquake of magnitude 3.8 in Tibet at a shallow depth of 10 km. Authorities continue to monitor the situation, while further details from the affected regions in Afghanistan are awaited.