Earthquake Today: Magnitude 3.5 quake strikes Chamoli in Uttarakhand

An earthquake struck the Chamoli region of Uttarakhand on Sunday night with its epicentre near the town of Joshimath. The quake had a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale and came amid heavy rainfall and landslides in the region. No casualties have been reported.

“Earthquake of magnitude 3.5 on July 7 at 9:31 pm,” confirmed the National Center for Seismology.

The epicentre of the quake was some 11 kilometres away from the town of Joshimath — at latitude 30.60 north and longitude 79.45 east, at a depth of five kilometres.

Data shared by the NCS also indicates that quakes struck Afghanistan (4.4 magnitude) and Pakistan (4.7 magnitude) earlier on Sunday. The development also comes two days after a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Leh town in Ladakh.

The quake comes at a time when Uttarakhand is reeling from the aftermath of heavy rainfall. The Meteorological Centre in Uttarakhand has predicted heavy rain over several parts of the state until July 10. The Chardham yatra was temporarily suspended on Sunday in view of the forecast.

Two pilgrims from Hyderabad were killed on Saturday after being hit by boulders falling from the hillside following a landslide in Karnaprayag of Chamoli district. The rivers were also in spate with the Alaknanda flowing near the danger mark at Vishnu Prayag near Joshimath.

Meanwhile the State Disaster Response Force issued an alert for travellers as the water level of the Ganga River in Rishikesh witnessed a surge on Sunday.

"The rise in the water level was earlier predicted. We are in constant contact with the administration and concerned departments. The police are also taking preventive actions. People living near the River bank have been displaced. Efforts are being made to stop people from visiting the river banks", the Superintendent of Police (Rural) in Dehradun told ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)