Strong earthquake hits Iran, tremors felt in north India

Strong tremors rocked large parts of north India, including the national capital and its adjoining areas on Tuesday evening. Tremors were felt in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. The quake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale at its epicentre on the Pakistan-Iran border.

"The epicentre of the quake was the Pakistan-Iran border and it measured 7.8 on the Richter scale," V Dattatreya, head, seismology,

India Meteorological Department (IMD), told IANS.

The quake took place at 4.14 pm (IST) at a depth of 33 km, an official said.

The strong tremors that lasted several seconds, leading to panic in many places. People rushed out of their offices and homes in the National Capital Region.

Seismologists said a major earthquake has struck a region near the Iran-Pakistan border, less than a week after a quake in Iran killed at least 37 people.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at 10:44 GMT at a depth of 15.2 km (9.4 miles). The epicenter was in southeast Iran in an area of mountains and desert.

It was located 201 km (125 miles) southeast of the Iranian city of Zahedan and 250 km northwest of Turbat in Pakistan, USGS said.

Tall buildings shook in New Delhi, sending people running into the streets, witnesses said. People also evacuated shaking buildings in Qatar and Dubai, residents said.

Across the Gulf, high-rise buildings swayed and officials ordered evacuations. Dubai has the world's tallest tower, the 828-meter (2,717 -foot) Burj Khalifa.

Src:Hindustantimes