N India hit by 5.7 quake, no reports of casualties,Narora safe

Dehra Dun/New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) A 5.7-magnitude
earthquake of "moderate" intensity with its epicentre at the
Indo-Nepal border region shook parts of North India Monday
evening but there was no immediate report of any loss of life
or property.
The two units of Narora Atomic Power station in
Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh, which is located in the
seismic zone and around 450 km from the epicentre of the
quake, were safe. There was some panic in villages in Indian
side of the Indo-Nepal border.
Indian Meteorological Department officials in the
Indian capital New Delhi and in Chandigarh said the quake
measured 5.7 on the Richter struck at 5.02 PM and was of
"moderate" intensity. However, the US Geological Survey
Department in its website put the magnitude at 5.4.
"The quake was epicentred at Indo-Nepal border," the
the officials said, adding, "there is no fear of aftershocks."
"We are keeping our fingers crossed," they said.
Police and fire brigade said there was no report of any
casualty or damage in Delhi after tremors were felt as far as
the National Capital.
"The plants (at Narora) are safe and continued to
operate safely," N Nagaich, the plant's Chief Executive, told
PTI.
The official's remarks were reassuring as questions
were raised about the safety of Indian nuclear power plants
from effects of quake and tsunami in the wake of the nuclear
disaster in Japan.
Officials and eyewitnesses said the tremor lasted
between 3 and 30 seconds. There were reports of anxious people
at several places rushing out of their homes and offices with
the recent massive quake in Japan apparently weighing in their
minds.
Besides Delhi, tremors were also felt in quake-prone
Uttarakhand state, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and in the Union
territory of Chandigarh.
The US Geological survey said the epicentre was 130 km
from Haldwani in Uttarakhand and 363 km from New Delhi. The
epicentre of the quake was at a depth of 12.5 km, it added.
The earthquake jolted Dehra Dun, Nainital and
other parts of the hill state of Uttarakhand, according to
preliminary reports.
In Uttarakhand, doors rattled as people rushed out of
their homes and offices in panic.
The quake was felt for nearly 20 seconds in Dehra Dun,
Nainital, Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Udhamsingh Nagar and
Chamoli.
No loss of life or damage to property was reported from
any part of the hill state, officials in state capital Dehra
Dun said.
Powerful quakes had hit Uttarkashi in 1991 and Chamoli
eight years later in then undivided Uttar Pradesh.
In Uttar Pradesh, tremors were felt at a number of
places creating panic among people specially those close to
Indo-Nepal border.
"Tremors were felt for five seconds to 30 seconds at
almost all the places in UP, but no loss of property or life
was reported from anywhere," official sources said in Lucknow.
In Bahraich district, people came out of their houses
and offices in Nanpara and Rupadiya villages located on the
Indo-Nepal border.
Similar reports were received from districts
sharing the border with Nepal, including Siddharth Nagar,
Balrampur and Maharajganj.
In Lucknow, people experienced tremor for nearly five
seconds.
In Rajasthan, tremors were felt in the state capital
Jaipur and other parts of the desert state.
US Geological Survey department expects that 4,000
people will have experienced a very strong shaking. 128,000 a
strong shaking and 1,225,000 people a moderate shaking.