Tremors were felt across Delhi and parts of North India early Thursday morning after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Jhajjar district in Haryana, according to the National Centre for Seismology. The quake occurred at 9:04 AM at a depth of 10 km.
Residents in Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram reported strong shaking, with many stepping out of homes and offices as fans and fixtures swayed. Similar reports came in from Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Dadri, and even as far as Meerut and Shamli in western Uttar Pradesh.
Social media was flooded with posts describing the tremors as some of the “longest” felt in recent memory.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) issued a public advisory urging people to remain calm, avoid elevators, and step out into open areas using stairs. Those driving were advised to pull over safely in open spaces.
Delhi lies in Seismic Zone IV, a high-risk zone due to its proximity to multiple active fault lines like the Delhi-Haridwar Ridge, Sohna Fault, Delhi-Moradabad Fault, and Mahendragarh-Dehradun Fault. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority notes that tectonic stress from the Indian-Eurasian plate collision makes the region vulnerable to quakes.