Earthquake of 4.0-magntiude hits Delhi, NCR; PM Modi says stay calm

Strong tremors were felt in the national capital and adjoining regions as an earthquake of 40 magnitude struck the region early on Monday reported news agency PTIThere were no immediate reports of any damage or injuriesPrime Minister Narendra Modi urged people in the region to stay calm and follow safety precautions while keeping alert for possible aftershocksModi said in a post on X Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions staying alert for possible aftershocks Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situationThe epicentre of the quake was in the Jheel Park area of Dhaula Kuan and there were some reports of people hearing a loud sound as the ground shook reported PTIThe National Center for Seismology said the earthquake struck at a focal depth of five kilometres at 536 amShallow earthquakes originating five or 10 kilometres below the surface tend to cause more damage than those originating deep below the surface reported PTIThe Jheel Park region has been experiencing smaller lowmagnitude quakes once every two to three years It recorded an earthquake of 33 magnitude in 2015 an official said reported PTIIn a post on X the Delhi Police said We hope you all are safe DelhiIt also urged citizens to call on the emergency 112 helpline for emergenciesThe strong tremors triggered by the earthquake prompted residents of several highrise buildings in Delhi Noida Greater Noida and Ghaziabad to rush out of their homesA woman in her 50s who was out on a morning walk in E Block of Noida Sector 20 said Hum log bahar park me walk kar rahe the toh pata nahin chala Lekin kafi tej tha Log bahar aa gaye We were walking in the park so we didnt feel it strongly But it was quite strong People came rushing out reported PTIVisuals from PTI Videos showed people waiting outside their homes across DelhiNCR fearful of any aftershockNaresh Kumar a resident of West Delhi said this was the first time that he had experienced such a strong tremor reported PTIRatanlal Sharma who was waiting at New Delhi railway station for a train to Prayagraj said he was at the platform when he felt a sudden jolt It felt like a train suddenly came to a screeching halt he said reported PTIA resident of a highrise in Ghaziabad said the tremors were so strong that everyone rushed downstairs in panicAAP leader Atishi said on X A strong earthquake just hit Delhi I pray to God that everyone is safeResharing her post AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said he prayed for everyones safetyMassive tremors were felt 10 minutes back in Delhi woke us up from sleep I hope and pray everyone is safe and sound AICC national spokesperson Ragini Nayak said in a post on XDelhi is located about 250 kilometres from the seismicallyactive Himalayan collision zone and experiences shaking frequently from far and nearfield earthquakesThe national capital is placed in Seismic Zone IV in the seismic zoning map of India the second highest in the countryA 35magnitude quake on April 12 2020 and a 34magnitude one on May 10 2020 in northeast Delhi and a 44magnitude earthquake on May 29 2020 near Rohtak about 50 kilometres west of Delhi followed by more than a dozen aftershocks sparked panic in the densely populated habitatHaryana also reported minor earthquakes in 202223With inputs from PTI