Earthquake of mild intensity rocks parts of Himachal

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 27 

Three earthquakes of mild intensity in succession rocked parts of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday morning.

People in Rampur and Kullu ran out of their houses in panic.

The first shock was felt at 6.46 am, followed by another at 7.05 am, while the third shock was felt at 9.05 am. The magnitude of the quakes with the epicenter at Kullu and a depth of 10 km was measured at 4.6, 4.3 and 4.2, respectively, on the Richter scale, MeT department director Manmohan Singh said.

People in Rampur and Kullu said 10 to 15 tremors were felt in quick succession and they were scared of entering their houses and waited outside.

While the social media sites were abuzz with rumours that buildings had collapsed in Rampur and several other buildings had developed cracks but Rampur SDM Nishant Thakur said no loss of life or property was reported but educational institutes were closed as a precautionary measure.

Tents had been pitched in open places, he said, adding that the earthquake enhanced the risk of landslides due to heavy rain.   

Fearing more tremors, people were unwilling to enter their houses and were waiting in the open. The attendance in offices was also thin.

Tremors were also felt in Shimla, Solan, Chopal and parts of Sirmaur district.