Mid-intensity tremors strike Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: A series of mediumintensity tremors rocked parts of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday morning, following which panic-stricken people rushed out of their homes in Shimla and Kullu districts.

Tremors were felt thrice –at 6.46 am, 7.05 am 9.02 am. Their magnitude was measured at 4.6, 4.3 and 4.2 on the Richter scale respectively, the Director of the local MET office, Mannohan Singh said. The epicenter the quakes was in Kullu at a depth of 10 km.

However, the people in Shimla district's Rampur and Kullu district said they felt ten to fifteen tremors in quick succession and were scared of entering their houses.

Some old buildings in Ani area of Kullu and Kingal and Kumarsein developed cracks and reports of boulders rolling down have also been received from interior areas of Rampur and Kullu, but there was no loss of life or major damage, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Rampur, Nishant Thakur said.

Educational institutions were closed as a precautionary measure, he said. Tents have been pitched in open places for the people unwilling to enter the houses and a huge tree in a school campus, which was posing risk has been felled, he added. People avoided going to office after the tremors, which were also felt in Solan, Chopal and parts of Sirmaur district.

The tremors have also increased the risk of landslides with monsoon rains loosening soil. The Himalayan belt of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is known as the earthquake-prone region in the world.

The tremors have increased risk of landslides with monsoon rains loosening the soil