Delhi Tremors As 4.4 Earthquake Hits Haryana, Many Say 'Longest In Life'

Strong tremors were felt in Delhi and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) as an earthquake struck in Haryana's Jhajjar district. The estimated magnitude of the quake was around 4.4 on the Richter scale, which measures the magnitude of earthquakes. According to the National Institute of Seismology, the earthquake's depth was 10 km.

In several areas of Delhi, residents left their homes after fans and other household items swayed after the quake struck at 9.04 am. The tremors were also felt in office areas in Noida and Gurugram, as computer systems shook and some professionals stepped out of their offices.

In Haryana, tremors were felt in Gurugram, Rohtak, Dadri and Bahadurgarh. Tremors were also felt as far as Meerut and Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh, about 200 km from the epicentre in Jhajjar. 

People took to social media to post about the earthquake and how they responded to it, many of them underlined how long it felt.

As soon as the earthquake struck, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) put out an advisory. It asked people not to panic, run outside and take the stairs while doing so. NDRF also had a piece of advice for those driving when the quake hits: pull over at an open space.

Earthquakes are not unusual in Delhi due to its geographic location. According to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, seismicity in north India, including the Himalayas, is due to the collision between the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian plate. "These colliding plates flex, storing energy like a spring, and when the plate's margins finally slip to release energy, an earthquake results," the DDMA explains.

Delhi is located in Seismic Zone 4, which has a higher risk of earthquakes. The national capital is located near several active fault lines, including Delhi-Haridwar Ridge, the Sohna Fault, the Delhi-Moradabad Fault, and the Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault.

Since 1720, the city has been rocked by at least five earthquakes above 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale, according to reports.