Quake hits Lahaul-Spiti; 14th this year in HP

An earthquake of 4.3 magnitude shook Himachal Pradesh's tribal Lahaul and Spiti district on Monday, the meteorological department said.

There were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage to property, it said.

The quake's epicentre was at a depth of 20 km north-east in Lahaul and Spiti district, the department said, adding that tremors were also felt in and around the district at 9.03 am on Monday.

This is the third earthquake in Himachal Pradesh in a week and the fourteenth in the last seven months.

Earthquakes of magnitude 4 and 3.3 shook Chamba and Kinnaur districts on July 25 and July 23 respectively.

Since January, Himachal Pradesh has experienced tremors 14 times, said a revenue and disaster management spokesman.

While six quakes were reported in Chamba district this year, three in Kinnaur, two in Mandi, once each in Shimla and Kangra, he said.

The spokesman said most of these quakes were shallow with maximum depth of 20 km.

The strongest earthquake to hit Himachal Pradesh was the one in 1905 in Kangra, in which around 20,000 people died and over 1 lakh houses were destroyed, he said.

Since then the state has witnessed more than 297 earthquakes of magnitude 3 and above, he added.

As per research, strong earthquakes in this part of the Himalayas in the near future cannot be ruled out as no major tremor has taken place in a long time.

The government of Himachal Pradesh is trying to make communities resilient through various programmes and periodical advisories, which focus on encouraging the public to build houses in safe areas, following the by-laws, he said.

As part of disaster preparedness, one must keep emergency kits containing food and medicines, he added.

He said during emergency situations the people must remain calm, move to safe places and seek help on toll-free numbers 1077, 1070 and 112, he added.