An earthquake of 4.0 magnitude rocked parts of Delhi-NCR early on Monday, the National Center for Seismology said.
There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.
The earthquake, with its epicentre in New Delhi, struck at a depth of five kilometres at 5:36 am, it said in a post on X.
The epicentre was near Durgabai Deshmukh College of Special Education in Dhaula Kuan, an official told PTI.
- Read: A major Himalayan quake is coming. But when?
That region, which has a lake nearby, has been experiencing smaller, low-magnitude quakes once every two to three years. It recorded an earthquake of 3.3 magnitude in 2015, he said.
A loud sound was also heard when the earthquake hit, the official added.
The strong tremors triggered by the earthquake prompted residents of several high-rise buildings in Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad to rush out.
A woman in her 50s who was out on a morning walk in E Block of Noida Sector 20 said, “‘Hum log bahar park me walk kar rahe the toh pata nahin chala. Lekin kafi tej tha. Log bahar aa gaye. (We were walking in the park, so we didn’t feel it strongly. But it was quite strong. People came rushing out)’.” In a post on X, The Delhi Police said, “We hope you all are safe, Delhi!” It also urged citizens to call on the emergency 112 helpline for emergencies.
- Read: Why the Himalayas are vulnerable to large earthquake events
AAP leader Atishi said on X, “A strong earthquake just hit Delhi. I pray to God that everyone is safe.” Resharing Atishi’s post, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal said, “I pray for safety of everyone.” “Massive tremors were felt 10 minutes back in Delhi, woke us up from sleep. I hope and pray everyone is safe and sound,” AICC national spokesperson Ragini Nayak said in a post on X.