An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck Nepal early Wednesday, killing at least six people, destroying multiple houses in the western district of Doti and shaking the Indian capital New Delhi, officials said.
Earthquake in Nepal, tremors in Delhi
According to the National Seismological Centre (NSC), the earthquake occurred at 1:57 a.m. with its epicentre at Khaptad National Park in Doti district, reports The Hindu. However, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) measured the quake at a magnitude of 5.6 and said that it was centered about 158km (100 miles) northeast of Pilibhit, in the neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The severe tremors lasted for nearly 10 seconds and were reported from Noida and Gurugram as well. The depth of the earthquake was about 10 km, according to the National Center for Seismology.
Due to the quake, many houses collapsed and rescue officials, as well as, citizens were seen clearing the debris and looking for survivors in Nepal.
Twitter reacts
The tremors felt in Delhi were so strong, that many went outside their houses for safety. And, in no time #earthquake started trending on Twitter with more than 20,000 tweets. Some tweeted to say they’ve never felt this strong an earthquake.
2nd earthquake in hours
Meanwhile, this was the second earthquake to hit Nepal in around five hours. The last earthquake, magnitude 4.9, was reported in Nepal at 8:52 pm on Wednesday.
In April 2015, a devastating earthquake of 7.8-magnitude rocked Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and wounding nearly 22,000 others. It also damaged over 800,000 houses and school buildings.
