New Delhi: A huge earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale hit Nepal today at about 12.35 pm; tremors were felt across major swathes of North India, including Delhi, at about 12.40 pm today. Today’s quake was epicentred near the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, which was devastated on April 25 by a temblor that weighed in at 7.9.
8,000 people had been killed and more than 17,000 injured in Nepal in the earthquake. 50 people had died in Bihar. People rushed out of their homes and offices in cities like Patna in Bihar and Gurgaon near Delhi.
National capital Delhi and NCR region felt strong tremors at around 12:30 pm. Other areas in North India and East India including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam felt the impact of the earthquake.
In the national capital, Delhi Metro was brought to a halt as per standard operating procedure. Government and private offices were immediately evacuated.
Unconfirmed reports say that the epicentre of the May 12 earthquake is in Afghanistan. It is believed that the earthquake measured between 6.9 to 7.1 on the Richter Scale.
Like April’s earthquake, today’s was shallow – 10 km deep. Shallow quakes are more deadly because the amount of energy released is focused over a smaller area.
Bureau Report
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