North India was jolted late on Monday night following an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale with its epicentre at Baron Basti in Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand.
Secretary of the Earth Sciences Ministry Madhavan Rajeevan said no casualties had been reported in the immediate aftermath but the magnitude was significant. The tremor, which was felt in the national capital and several parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, including Chandigarh, Ambala and Ludhiana, was strong enough to send residents out onto the streets.
The India Meteorological Department, in a preliminary report, said the earthquake occurred at 10:33 p.m. and was a 'moderate' quake.
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“The depth of the quake was 33 km,” said J.L. Gautam, Operations head at the National Seismological Bureau.
Two NDRF teams have been rushed to Rudraprayag, the Director General of the force said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh have spoken to officials to take stock of the situation following the quake.
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“PMO is in touch with officials in Uttarakhand. I pray for everyone’s safety & wellbeing,” Mr. Modi said in a tweet.
(With inputs from PTI)