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Four earthquakes, the strongest being of magnitude 6.2, jolted Nepal in quick succession with tremors reverberating through parts of north India including Delhi-NCR, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said on Tuesday.
An NCS official said the first quake of magnitude 4.6 struck west Nepal at a depth of 10 kilometres at 2:25 pm, followed by the 6.2 magnitude jolt at 2:51 pm.
Two more quakes (magnitude 3.6 and 3.1) hit the same region at a depth of 15 km and 10 km at 3:06 pm and 3:19 pm, respectively.
The epicentre for the strongest quake was 206 km southeast of the pilgrimage town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand and 284 north of Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow.
People in Delhi and the National Capital Region reported strong tremors after the second quake and rushed out of their offices and high-rise residential buildings. The Delhi Police urged them not to panic.
"We hope you all are safe. Please come out of your buildings to a safe spot, but do not panic. DO NOT USE ELEVATORS! For any emergency help, dial 112," it said in a post on X.
News channels aired visuals of shaking ceiling fans and TV screens. Social media was also flooded with such visuals.
In a video shared by DD News on X, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and a group of officials were standing in the Nirman Bhawan building complex after the tremors were felt.
The Nirman Bhawan houses offices of the health ministry and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, among other important offices.
People also shared videos of employees of offices in Gurugram rushing downstairs after the tremors were felt in Delhi-NCR.
Taking to X, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in Hindi, "Strong earthquake tremors have also been felt in Delhi. I hope you all are safe."
The Delhi police said in another post an hour later, "Thankfully, no damage to life or property was reported to us in Delhi after the earthquake tremors. Stay safe! #DelhiPoliceCares,"
Tremors were felt in Chandigarh, Jaipur and other parts of north India as well. The police control room in the pink city said there was no information yet about losses.
Tremors were also felt at various places in Uttarakhand including Pauri, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Haridwar and Pithoragarh.
People ran out of their houses in panic as they felt the tremors in Kotdwar, Yamkeshwar, Gumkhal and Lansdowne too, officials said, but added no loss of life or property was reported from anywhere in the state.
Nepal lies in one of the most active tectonic zones (seismic zone IV and V) of the world, making the country extremely vulnerable to earthquakes.
According to the US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing more than 8,000 people and injuring over 21,000.