Magnitude 8 earthquake to hit Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand soon? NGRI sounds alarm

Magnitude 8 earthquake to hit Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand soon? NGRI sounds alarm

Residents of Delhi NCR were left in a state of panic as a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Afghanistan on Tuesday, sending strong tremors in parts of India. The tremors felt in India were of around 4.2 magnitudes, while the tremors in Pakistan were also very strong.

Now, an older prediction of the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has come forward where scientists have claimed that a strong earthquake is bound to hit India soon, with the epicenter likely to fall in the Himalayan region.

Soon after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake had sent shockwaves across Turkey and Syria, leaving cities leveled, the NGRI predicted that a similar situation can be faced in India, primarily in northern states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

While speaking to ANI last month, NGRI’s chief scientist Dr N Purnachandra Rao said that due to the movement of the tectonic plates, there is a lot of stress built up in the Himalayan region, which might cause a massive earthquake, which can be of over 7 magnitude.

The earthquake expert said, “We have a strong network of 18 seismograph stations in Uttarakhand. The region referred to as the seismic gap between Himachal and the western part of Nepal including Uttarakhand is prone to earthquakes that might occur at any time.”

Dr Rao also said that the Indian plate is moving by around 5 cm per year, increasing stress along the Himalayas and increasing the possibility of a higher-intensity earthquake hitting India soon, with Himachal or Uttarakhand, possibly Nepal, being the epicenter.

The NGRI said that there is a possibility that the magnitude of this earthquake can be as high as 8 on the Richter scale, which can cause a lot of damage, and is higher than the magnitude of the Turkey-Syria earthquake which occurred last month.

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