New Delhi: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck in Tajikistan on February 12 with tremors felt across North India and Delhi, prompting people to rush out of their homes.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in Tajikistan – about 450 km from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, according to India’s National Center for Seismology.
The earthquake struck at 10:31 pm IST at a depth of 74 km from the surface.
For a brief period, the NCS located the epicenter of the earthquake in Amritsar, Punjab. But changed the details later.
“We can confirm there was no quake in Amritsar. The software picked up a signal erroneously. However we are investigating if another quake occurred,” V.K. Bansal, Director, NCS told The Hindu.
Strong tremors were felt in Delhi and surrounding areas for several seconds.
“Earthquake tremors felt in Delhi. Praying for everyone’s safety,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
There was no immediate report of any damage to life of property.
Strong tremors were also felt in Amritsar and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s spokesperson said he spoke to the police commissioner.
No reports of any damage so far in Amritsar or other parts of Punjab following the #earthquake. Top officials of @PunjabPoliceInd & local administration are keeping a close watch on the situation. Praying for everyone’s safety. https://t.co/DKNNvFMPwE
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) February 12, 2021
Social media was abuzz with people reporting the quake, instantly sending #Earthquake to the top of the trends.
Not since the earthquake of 2005 have the tremors in Srinagar been bad enough to force me out of the house. I grabbed a blanket & ran. I didn’t remember to take my phone & so was unable to tweet “earthquake” while the damn ground was shaking.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) February 12, 2021