Earthquake Of 6.6 Shakes Valley, People Flee Homes

Earthquake Of 6.6 Shakes Valley, People Flee Homes

Reports Of Jolt Triggering Panic In Parts Of India, Pakistan

Srinagar/New Delhi: A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.6 on the Richter scale occurred on Tuesday night in Jammu and Kashmir, triggering panic among the people who rushed outside their homes and called their loved ones to enquire about their wellbeing.
The high-intensity earthquake occurred 22:10:27IST. The earthquake was at latitude 36.09 degrees north and longitude 71.35 degrees east, a meteorological department official here said. The epicenter was Hindu Kush Region, he said.
There was no immediate report of any damage in the earthquake which caused panic among the people who rushed out of their houses.
Initial reports said the tremors were felt in most parts of India, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
In Delhi and adjoining areas, people ran out of their homes and offices as the buildings started shaking.
Panic-stricken people rushed out of buildings as the earthquake struck around 10.20 pm and was also felt in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.
There was disruption in mobile services in some parts of the Jammu region immediately after the earthquake, an official said.
There was no immediate report of any loss of life or property.
According to an automated report generated by the National Centre for Seismology, the 6.6 magnitude quake struck 133 km southeast of Fayzabad in Afghanistan. The earthquake was at a depth of 156 km.
A Noida resident said he first noticed the dining table shaking. “Soon after we saw that the fans were also shaking. The earthquake was strong in terms of intensity and stayed for a longer period,” the resident of Hyde Park society in Noida said.
A cab owner in Delhi said he felt the earthquake while he was waiting for passengers.
“I was waiting for passengers and suddenly my car started shaking. I immediately shouted and told my friends about it,” said cab owner Ramesh Pawar, who was near Connaught Place in central Delhi.
Jyoti, a resident of Lajpat Nagar in south Delhi, said she was watching television when she suddenly saw the TV and sofa were shaking.
Initially, she ignored it but when her husband alerted her, she and her family members rushed out of their home.
“I ignored it initially but as soon as my husband alerted, I felt the earthquake too. This time it was strong and the sofa I was sitting on started shaking a bit. We rushed outside our home. Thankfully, we are on the ground floor, so in such situations, we have an easy escape,” she said.
Twitter users shared videos of ceiling fans and light fixtures shaking during the massive quake. Eye-witnesses have also claimed to have felt the earthquake in Jaipur.
Local media in Pakistan also reported shocks in Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar.
PTI reported that the quake was felt in the capital Islamabad and several cities across the country. But so far no loss to life or property has been reported.
An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude in 2005 killed more than 74,000 people in Pakistan.

 

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