No loss of life reported in earthquake-hit areas of Himachal's Chamba, say officials

Shimla, April 6 (PTI) No loss of life or major damage to property was reported in the 5.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the Chamba district in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, officials said on Friday.

The earthquake struck at 9.34 pm and occurred at a depth of 10 km in Pangi, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) and officials in Shimla.

After analysis by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA), the panchayats where the epicentre of the earthquake has been identified are Sach, Seichu, Shoon (HilluTwan), and Kumar (Parmar) of the Pangi tehsil of Chamba.

As of now, no loss of life has been reported, and the situation seems to be normal, said Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, adding that there have been only partial damages to houses, for which officials are making relief cases as the team carried out its inspections, a statement issued in Shimla said.

There are some reports of cracks in houses and the same will be verified, he added.

Chamba, around 370 km from Shimla, falls in the 'very high damage risk' seismic zone five of the Himalayan region.

Tremors were felt in parts of north India and communication networks were affected in villages near the earthquake's epicentre and teams were dispatched to the area, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster) Onkar Sharma had told PTI on Thursday night.

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake on April 4 in 1905 in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra had led to large-scale death and destruction, and according to NCS records, more than 20,000 people had died in the disaster in the western Himalayas.

More than one lakh buildings in Dharamshala, Kangra, Mcleodganj and nearby areas were damaged and about 53,000 domestic animals had died in the 1905 earthquake.

Jolts of the Thursday earthquake, according to Sharma, were felt for a 'long duration' in areas in Chamba, particularly those near epicentre Pangi.

On September 12, 1951, a 6-magnitude earthquake struck the Chamba-Udhampur area on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The area witnessed an earthquake of the same magnitude on June 17, 1962, according to records.

In 2004, Himachal Pradesh's Bharmour area was struck by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake.