Uttarakhand quake: People left homes in panic; tremors also felt in Delhi

Tremors were felt in several parts of North India as a medium-intensity earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale hit Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district  on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. According to the IMD's National Seismological Centre, the quake occurred at 8:49 pm.  

There were no reports of loss of property or life. 

Uttarakhand, a part of the Himalayan region, falls under a high seismic zone. 

The tremors were felt in Delhi and NCR at around 8.45 pm on Wednesday and lasted for a few seconds.

"The epicentre is in Uttarakhand, the tremors felt in Delhi and NCR are the impulses," an official at the Centre for Seismology, IMD, told IANS.  

The epicentre of the quake was at 30 km depth, and the tremor is considered moderate. This is the second earthquake in Uttarakhand in the past 24 hours. On Tuesday, a 3.3 magnitude quake was reported in the state. As reported earlier, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake originated 121 km east of Dehradun in Uttarakhand. It estimated the epicentre to be between the Kedarnath hill shrine and the town of Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand. 

Although the earthquake lasted for only a few seconds, it triggered panic at many places, especially Dehradun -- the state capital of Uttarakhand -- and people rushed out of their houses. In fact, people in Dehradun evacuated their buildings after the quake. 

A few weeks ago, National Centre for Seismology Director Vineet Gehlot had warned that an earthquake of magnitude 8 may hit Uttarakhand's Garhwal Himalaya, reported Outlook India. 

Here's how people reacted on Twitter to the tremors: 

Strong earthquake tremors felt in Delhi NCR: ANI

Yes, also in Gurugram