New Delhi: Nature has shown its ugly face once again after a devastating earthquake jolted Nepal today, demolishing buildings and leaving people stranded on roads.
A strong earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked Nepal today at 11.41 am. The earthquake was so strong that the tremors were felt from Delhi to Guwahati and Srinagar to Jaipur. Even half an hour later, the aftershocks continued.
A number of buildings, including the walls surrounding Nepal's royal palace, collapsed due to the massive earthquake. Further details on loss of life and property are still awaited.
The NDMA vice-chief has said, "No such earthquake has occurred since 1950. Studies indicate that enough strains have accumulated to generate magnitude 8 or larger earthquakes in the Himalayan region. If an earthquake of magnitude 8 occurs in the Himalayan states, eight to nine lakh people may lose their lives."
This is not for the first time that nature has expressed its anger against the mankind. Himalayan region being seismically very active has faced such calamities at least 4 times in the past:
Shillong - 1897
The earthquake occurred in this beautiful city of Assam on June 1897, measuring 8.1 on Richter scale. Considering the intensity of the earthquake, the causalities of about 1500 were not that high but the loss of property was quite high. The earthquake that took place 32 km underground, left 390, 000 square kilometres of masonry buildings in ruins and was also felt over 650,000 square kilometres - from Burma to New Delhi.
