Chandigarh: No casualty was reported from anywhere in northern India as an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale hit the region overnight.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) here said on Thursday that the epicentre of the earthquake was near Sonepat in Haryana, 65 km from New Delhi.
The tremors, at 11.28 pm, were felt in varying degrees in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
But the earthquake did spark panic, forcing many people to jump out of their beds and scurry out of their homes in panic.
The first report on the earthquake said it measured 6.6 on the Richter scale. This was later downgraded to 4.2.
"There were a lot of rumours floating around, particularly of aftershocks of bigger intensity," a Sonepat administration official said.
In the national capital, many rushed out of their homes after the tremors.
"We could not sleep for the rest of the night fearing another tremor. Thank god nothing happened," said Shweta Sharma, a resident of east Delhi.
Delhi falls in Zone 4 of earthquake intensity zones and is designated a high damage risk zone.
IANS
