An earthquake of 4.3 magnitude shook Himachal Pradesh's tribal Lahaul and Spiti district on Monday, the meteorological department said.
There were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage to property. The quake's epicentre was at a depth of 20 km north-east in Lahaul and Spiti district, the department said, adding that tremors were also felt in and around the district at 9.03 am on Monday.
This is the third earthquake in Himachal Pradesh in a week. Earthquakes of magnitude 4 and 3.3 shook Chamba and Kinnaur districts on July 25 and July 23 respectively.
A spokesperson of Revenue and Disaster Management Department said that the state has experienced tremors 14 times since January 2019, with the magnitude of 4.3 or less, out of which Chamba district has been shaken six times, Kinnaur thrice, Mandi twice, Shimla and Kangra once respectively. Most of these earthquakes were shallow with maximum depth of 20 Km.
The Spokesperson said that the State has been shaken by many earthquakes in the past and 1905 Kangra earthquake was strongest ever recorded earthquake in the history in which around twenty thousand people lost their lives and more than one lakh houses collapsed.
Since then the state have witnessed more than 297 earthquakes of magnitude 3 and above in the Richter scale. The 1975 Kinnaur earthquake was another big jolt which the State experienced. As per the many research outcomes, strong earthquake in this part of the Himalayas in the near future cannot be ruled out as no major earthquake has shaken this place for long.
The official said that earthquakes, in a matter of seconds, can shatter entire communities, leaving large number of people homeless and displaced, adding that Himachal government is taking rigorous initiatives to make community resilient through various programmes and periodical advisories which specially focus on encouraging general public to build their houses in safe environment and follow the by-laws, while constructing their houses.
"People should always be prepared to face disasters. Part of preparedness includes keeping emergency kits ready containing emergency food, medicals, etc. It is also advised, during the exigency situation to keep calm and move to safer places and seek ask help from Toll-free helpline numbers," the spokespersons added.