Delhi | ‘Never experienced such tremors’: Residents as earthquake hits city
Many residents described the earthquake as “terrifying” and said their first reaction was to rush outside of their houses
The strong tremors caused by a 4.0-magnitude earthquake in Delhi and its outskirts early on Monday (February 17) morning jolted many residents out of their sleep and left them scrambling for safety.
Anil Kumar, a resident of Sita Ram Bazar, who immediately rushed outside his house like many of his neighbours, said he had never experienced such tremors before.
‘Felt a strong vibration; terrifying’
"When I woke up, I felt a strong vibration and got scared. My wife and I immediately woke up our child and rushed outside," said Anil Kumar, a resident of Sita Ram Bazar.
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"I am a heart patient, so I panicked even more." he added.
The 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.
Another Sita Ram Bazar resident, Sundar Lal, initially mistook the noise for monkeys on the terrace.
"At first, we thought there were monkeys on our terrace making noise but then we realised it was an earthquake, so we all ran outside," he said.
"It was a very strong earthquake, and we were all terrified. But thankfully it didn't last long," he added.
First thing we did was to rush outside: Resident
The National Center for Seismology said the earthquake struck at a focal depth of five kilometres at 5:36 am. There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.
Anil, a resident of Nehru Nagar, told PTI that as soon as he felt the tremor, he ran out of his house with his two-year-old daughter.
"There was a loud sound and strong jolts. My wife and I were very scared. The first thing we did was pick up our daughter and rush outside," he said.
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Stay calm: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X to urge residents in Delhi and nearby areas to stay calm and follow safety precautions while keeping alert for possible aftershocks.
"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 situation," he posted.
Atishi, Kejriwal pray for people’s safety
AAP leader Atishi said on X, "A strong earthquake just hit Delhi. I pray to God that everyone is safe." Resharing Atishi's post, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said he prayed for everyone's safety.
"Massive 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 X.
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Why’s Delhi vulnerable to quakes?
The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi is located about 250 kilometres from the seismically-active Himalayan collision zone and frequently experiences far- and near-field shaking due to Himalayan and local sources, respectively.
A 3.5-magnitude quake on April 12, 2020 and a 3.4-magnitude one on May 10, 2020, in northeast Delhi and a 4.4-magnitude 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 habitat.
Delhi is placed in Seismic Zone IV in the seismic zoning map of India. This intraplate region is exposed to moderate to high risk due to Himalayan earthquakes.
(With inputs from agencies)