Earthquake In India: Why Were Tremors In Delhi-NCR, Jaipur And Other Cities So Strong?

New Delhi: An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on Tuesday (March 21, 2023), strong tremors of which were also felt in various parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR, Jaipur and Chandigarh. The epicentre of the earthquake, which shook the mountainous region at 10.17 pm (IST), was 133 km south-southeast of Fayzabad in Afghanistan. In neighbouring Pakistan, the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.8 and tremors were felt in several cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the epicentre of the earthquake was located at 36.09 degrees north on the latitude and 71.35 degrees east on the longitude with a focal depth of 156 km.

A senior seismologist told the news agency PTI that the reason why people in India felt the tremors for a relatively longer time is because the "depth of the fault was more than 150 km".

People in northern India first felt the primary waves and then were impacted by the secondary waves, the seismologist added.

Earthquake of Magnitude:6.6, Occurred on 21-03-2023, 22:17:27 IST, Lat: 36.09 & Long: 71.35, Depth: 156 Km ,Location: 133km SSE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan for more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/kFfVI7E1ux @ndmaindia @Indiametdept @moesgoi @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/sJAUumYDiM — National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) March 21, 2023

Seismogram of the 21 March 2023 Hindu Kush Region Earhtquake of M: 6.6 recorded (22:17:27 IST) by the permanent Udhamapur Seismological observatory, set up in June 2022, India by NCS-MoES.@PMOIndia @DrJitendraSingh @Dr_Mishra1966 @Ravi_MoES pic.twitter.com/cFFQiEEj3G — National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) March 22, 2023

The powerful temblor made hundreds of people rush out of their homes and come out on the streets in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Jaipur and other cities.

Earthquake In India: Tremors Felt In Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad

In India, the earthquake was felt across the northern region, including Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

A resident of Lajpat Nagar in 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 me, 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 was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

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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 relatively long period," the resident of Hyde Park society in Noida said.

Earthquake In India: Tremors Also Felt In Chandigarh, Jaipur

The tremors also sparked panic in the Rajasthan capital Jaipur and other cities as people rushed out of buildings as a precautionary measure and enquired about the earthquake from others.

In Punjab and Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh, people rushed out of their homes during the tremors.

Reports from many places in Punjab, including Pathankot, Mohali, Jalandhar, Phagwara and Ludhiana, said strong tremors were felt. 

There were similar reports from many places in Haryana, including Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal and parts of the National Capital Region.

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"I was about to go to sleep when I suddenly felt a strong tremor. I along with my wife and two children rushed downstairs," said a resident who lives on the third floor of a residential society in Chandigarh.

In Himachal Pradesh, people in Shimla, Mandi and several other places felt the strong tremors.