People rushed out of their homes and offices when an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale rocked several parts of Uttarakhand on Saturday. The earthquake was felt at about 11.41 am, said the Met officials, adding that aftershocks measuring around 6 were reported at 12.19 pm. The earthquake had its epicentre at Pokhra, 140 km west of Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, they claimed.
In Uttarakhand, there was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property from anywhere in the State. But the tremors rattled Doon residents many of whom scampered out looking for open space. People at the State Secretariat rushed down the stairs. Sohan, a resident of Nehru Colony, Cantt, said he was lying in his bed when he felt the bed was shaking. “The first thing I did was to rush out of the house. My mother too came out with us.” Chief Minister Harish Rawat said no case of loss to human life had been reported from anywhere in the State.
However, the district magistrates have been directed to evaluate damages if any has occurred anywhere and submit reports to the State Government promptly. The state police officers have alerted SDRF/PAC/IRB and district police force in view of the earthquake rocking north India and Nepal. Senior police officers have directed the force to be ready with equipment, materials and vehicles for the next 24 hours if situation warants that relief and rescue operations are to be be undertaken anywhere in the state.