Tremors travel to India, 51 dead, 237 injured

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25

At least 51 people were killed and 237 others injured after a massive earthquake, epicentred in Nepal, shook several parts of India on Saturday.

Bihar was the worst-hit with over 38 casualties, while 11 people died in Uttar Pradesh and two in West Bengal. Reports suggest that Motihari and Darbhanga in Bihar are the worst-affected. The Centre has sent the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to Gorakhpur (UP) and one each to Darbhanga, Supaul, Motihari and Gopalganj in Bihar. Each NDRF team comprises 45 personnel equipped with live detector machines and cutters. The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) has reviewed the situation through video-conferencing with the Chief Secretaries of the affected states.

According to experts, the location of the quake (10 km deep) intensified the amount of energy released. Reports suggested that tremors were felt as far as Kochi in Kerala, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh in Central India and several other parts of India, including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra in the western region.

The “great” temblor that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale at 11.41 am was followed by a “moderate” aftershock measuring 6.6 at 12.15 pm. IMD Director General Lakshman Singh Rathore said the magnitude measured 5 on the Richter scale in Delhi.

It was the worst quake to hit the Himalayan nation in 81 years. A 1934 earthquake of magnitude 8.3 in Nepal had killed over 8,500 people. 

On April 1 this year, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 had hit Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Tectonically, a lot of movement is taking place in the region, increasing the possibility of a powerful earthquake after every 50-60 years. Earthquakes in the region usually occur due to the converging of two tectonic plates — the India plate and the overriding Eurasian plate. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, an earthquake occurs, releasing energy and causing waves to travel to the surface of the Earth. The IMD has warned of aftershocks, a normal occurrence after an earthquake of this intensity. Though they are expected in the vicinity of the epicentre, their intensity will not be as high.