Panic-stricken residents in Delhi NCR take to social media following 5.7 earthquake
NEW DELHI: Hours after the Delhi-NCR region was hit with a strong earthquake during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, several people took to social media to share their experiences.
According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake felt in the region was registered at 5.7 on the Richter scale. At least six people were killed when the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck at 1.57 am, in Nepal, about 90 km east-southeast of Pithoragarh, leading to tremors rippling across north India and parts of Nepal.
Shivangi Bhatia (25), a resident of Greater Noida, said she was jolted out of sleep and ran outside her house. “I felt tremors for 10 seconds. It was scary. The doors and windows were rattling. It took us time to know what was actually happening," she said.
Many people shared their experiences on Twitter, posting videos of people rushing out of their houses and neighbours gathering in groups, huddled over their phones as they tried to find out what had happened and where the epicentre was. One video showed a chandelier shaking.
Many of the residents shared pictures and videos as their WhatsApp statuses, too.
United Residents Joint Action president Atul Goyal said he did not receive any report of structural damage.
"I'm just 80 km away from the centre of this earthquake. I tell you guys. I was in deep sleep. My table started hitting the wall. Almirah made sound and my bed shook. It was for at least 50 to 70 seconds," posted Dinesh Sharma, who said he is based in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh near the border.
Neha Yadav, another Twitter user, said she is staying in Delhi for four years and had never felt such tremors.
“It’s 2 am in the morning and people are having a stroll on the streets… Reason – #Earthquake in #DelhiNCR,” Aakash Biswas wrote on Twitter and shared an 11-second video, in which people are seen gathered outside a residential building and some of them talking over the phone.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also took to social media and wrote: “I hope all of you are safe.”