Delhi hit by rare earthquake as Modi warns north India to ‘stay alert for aftershocks’

Delhi was jolted awake by a rare earthquake during the early hours of Monday, prompting a message from prime minister Narendra Modi to stay calm and alert for possible aftershocks.

The pre-dawn earthquake was measured at magnitude 4.2 by the US Geological Survey and 4.0 by India’s National Centre for Seismology, with strong shaking shortly after 5.30am local time prompting residents in New Delhi and the wider region of the Indian capital to rush out of their homes.

The epicentre was located at a depth of 5km near the Dhaula Kuan area, about 7.5km southwest of the Indian parliament. Tremors were felt across north India, the National Centre for Seismology said.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties. The Delhi Police have issued an emergency number to call for help, saying: "We hope you all are safe, Delhi."

Just hours later, another 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck Siwan city in Bihar. The temblor was reported at 8.02am (local time) at a depth of 10km, according to Indian authorities.

Mr Modi, in a post on X, warned people to stay alert for possible aftershocks. "Tremors were felt in Delhi and nearby areas. Urging everyone to stay calm and follow safety precautions, staying alert for possible aftershocks," Mr Modi said. "Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation".

It isn’t the first time the Dhaula Kuan area in the Indian capital has been the epicentre for seismic activity, with a 3.3 magnitude earthquake recorded there in 2015.

Dr OP Mishra, director of the National Centre for Seismology, told reporters that this was the most powerful earthquake to hit Dhaula Kuan since 2007, when it was the epicentre of a 4.7-magnitude quake.

Naresh Kumar, a resident of West Delhi, told the PTI news agency: "I felt an earthquake of such high magnitude for the first time. Everyone was outside their homes and afraid."

A passenger at the New Delhi railway station, where at least 18 people were killed in a stampede over the weekend, said the earthquake felt as if "trains were running underground". "Everything was shaking," he told ANI news agency.

Earthquakes are occasionally felt in Delhi when they strike the nearby geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate collides with the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas. Quakes centred on the Indian capital itself are relatively rare.

Monday morning’s earthquake comes amid heightened seismic activity in the Himalayan region and a month after a powerful 7.1-magnitude temblor struck the foothills of the Himalayas near one of Tibet’s holiest cities, killing at least 126 people. The intense earthquake flattened hundreds of houses and forced people to rush out of their houses in Nepal, Bhutan and India.