Concerns were raised throughout central and South Asia on Sunday morning when four earthquakes occurred in within one hour in portions of India, Myanmar, and Tajikistan. Residents of Central Asian cities and Himalayan towns fled buildings in terror as a result of the tremors, which reminded them of the region’s unstable tectonic terrain.
The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reports that the first earthquake occurred at 9 am in the Mandi region of Himachal Pradesh, with a magnitude 3.4 tremor recorded at a shallow depth of 5 km. The coordinates of the epicentre were 31.49°N, 76.94°E. Even though it was deemed a mild earthquake, many locals claimed to have heard a low rumble followed by a violent tremor. Startled locals rushed out of homes and offices into the open, according to local media reports. No injuries or property damage have been reported so far.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that shortly after, an earthquake of a magnitude of 5.5 occurred close to Meiktila in central Myanmar. Since the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28 that killed over 3,600 people and injured hundreds more, the tremor was one of the worst aftershocks. Both Mandalay and Naypyitaw, cities still in shock following the March tragedy, felt the effects of this most recent earthquake.
“The quake was so strong that people rushed out of buildings and that ceilings in some dwellings were damaged,” two Wundwin locals told The Associated Press over the phone. Another Naypyitaw resident who was contacted by phone claimed not to have felt the most recent earthquake. In order to avoid upsetting the military government, which favours strict information control, those contacted asked not to be identified.
Although there have been no reports of additional casualties, the tremor has increased fear in a nation already experiencing loss and grief. An earthquake of a magnitude of 6.1, initially predicted to be 6.4, struck Tajikistan at 9:54 in the morning. The greatest earthquake of the morning struck at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located at 38.86°N, 70.61°E.
Some stores and schools were evacuated as a precaution after residents of neighbouring towns reported experiencing severe shaking. Concerns about increased seismic activity in the area were then heightened when another 3.9 magnitude tremor struck the area at 10.36 am, this time at a depth of 10 km.
