Nepal records another earthquake in a week, tremors felt across northern India

Strong tremors were felt across India’s national capital Delhi and its neighbouring areas on Monday (Nov 6) evening, making it the second earthquake to jolt northern India in the past three days. The earthquake was recorded in New Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, and Faridabad. 

According to India's National Centre for Seismology, an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck Nepal, and its ripples were felt across northern India. 

Notably, the earthquake was recorded in Nepal at 4.14 pm (local time) around the same location where a 6.4 magnitude struck on November 3, killing at least 160 people in the Himalayan country.

Jajarkot, in Karnali province, was one of the worst-hit areas in Friday's earthquake, which left more than 300 wounded. 

Second earthquake in a week 

The first earthquake this week occurred with a magnitude of 6.4, Nepal's National Seismological Centre said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences measured the quake at 5.7, downgrading it from 6.2, while the US Geological Survey pegged it at 5.6.

Officials fear that the death toll in Friday's earthquake in Jajarkot could rise, as they had not been able to establish contact in the hilly area near the epicentre, some 500 km (300 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu. The district has a population of 190,000 with villages scattered in remote hills.

Nepal is situated on the boundary of two tectonic plates — the Asian and Indo-Australian plates. The collision of these two plates caused the Himalayas to rise up, with Tibet at its southern edge.

Nepal is prone to earthquakes

Every year, these two great plates converge at a rate of about four to five centimetres (two inches).  As a result, massive energy builds up and causes tremors to occur often.

"There has been a collision between Indian and Eurasian plates going on underground for a long time which has accumulated tremendous energy," Bharat Koirala, senior seismologist at the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, Nepal, told PTI news agency.

Also read | Nepal earthquake: Rescuers dig through rubble with bare hands as deaths climb to 157

Data from the Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre shows that since January 1, 2023, till date, there have been a total of 70 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 and above in Nepal. Of these, as many as 13 were between magnitude 5 and 6 while three were above magnitude 6.0.

Also read | Magnitude 4.5 earthquake jolts Afghanistan

 In 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 12,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)