An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck Western Nepal early Wednesday, claiming the lives of six people. The shock waves of the quake were felt across north India, including Delhi and surrounding areas of Ghaziabad and Gurugram.
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the epicenter was in Nepal, about 90 km east-southeast of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. The earthquake struck at 1.57 am Wednesday and occured at a depth of 10 km.
The Nepal's seismological centre set the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.6, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) has pegged it at a magnitude of 5.6.
Many houses were destroyed in the district of Doti in Nepal. "Five others were seriously injured as eight houses collapsed," Bhola Bhatta, deputy superintendent of police in Doti, told CNN. Three tremors were felt - two earthquakes and one aftershock and it was the third jolt that led to collapse of houses and death.
He added that authorities are not expecting large number of casualties as the epicenter appeared to be in the sparsely populated area around Khaptad National Park. However, the Nepal army has been mobilized in the affect areas to carry out rescue and search operations.
This is the second quake in Nepal within 24 hours, and the first and an aftershock was felt on Tuesday at 155km north east of Kathmandu at a depth of 100 kilometres. According to NCS, the quakes were of 4.9 magnitude and 3.5 magnitude late Tuesday evening.
The Himalayan region in Uttarakhand and adjoining Nepal has been experiencing earthquakes of lower magnitude for the past couple of days.
The country is where the tectonic plates of India and Eurasia collide, making it vulnerable to quakes. Massive destructions and over 9,000 people died when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal in 2015.
Tremors felt in India
The strong tremors shook people and jolted many from sleep. Initial reports said the tremors were felt in Lucknow too. Many people posted videos on social media showing swaying light fixtures and shaking fences.
Within minutes, #earthquake began trending on Twitter as people narrated their experiences, some saying they have never felt something so strong. Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi tweeted, Didn't want to tweet but one can safely say it did feel like an earthquake!