Earthquake of magnitude 3.5 felt in Delhi

A medium-intensity earthquake of magnitude 3.5 with epicentre in Delhi shook the region on Sunday evening, prompting panic-stricken people to rush out of their homes.

According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the quake occurred at 5.45 pm.

"Its epicentre was in Wazirabad in northeast Delhi at the depth of 8 kilometres," J L Gautam, Head (Operations), NCS said.

The tremors were also felt in neighbouring Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

Of the five seismic zones, Delhi falls under the fourth zone.

There was no immediate report of any damage.

An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 had hit the national capital in 2004. Another quake of magnitude 3.4 was recorded in the city in 2001, according to official data.

"Tremors felt in Delhi. Hope everyone is safe. I pray for the safety of each one of you," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.

S Damle, a resident of East Delhi said, "I felt my chair shaking and there was a loud rumbling sound. It was really frightening."

"We were watching TV and suddenly felt the tremors. We ran out of the house. Few of our neighbours had also gathered outside. We greeted them from a distance and returned to the house," said Arefa Sultana, a resident of Lajpat Nagar 1.

People have been staying at home due to the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus..

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