SHIMLA: On a day dedicated to celebrating and protecting the planet, the Earth delivered a series of reminders of its restless nature as three earthquakes struck different parts of Asia on World Environment Day, with tremors being felt across parts of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday evening.
The strongest of the three quakes measured 4.3 on the Richter scale and struck Afghanistan at 8:23:14 p.m. IST.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the earthquake occurred at a depth of 120 kilometres with its epicentre located at latitude 36.716°N and longitude 71.910°E.
Residents in Shimla, Dharamshala, Palampur and several other towns of Himachal Pradesh reported feeling mild tremors for a few seconds. Doors, windows and furniture shook briefly, but there were no reports of panic, casualties or damage to property.
Earlier in the evening, at 7:42:36 p.m. IST, another earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale struck Tajikistan. The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre located at latitude 38.841°N and longitude 71.895°E.
Before that, a 2.8 magnitude earthquake was recorded in Mangan district of Sikkim at 4:07:41 p.m. IST. The tremor originated at a depth of 5 kilometres.
While none of the three earthquakes caused significant damage, their occurrence on World Environment Day sparked conversations about the dynamic and fragile nature of the Himalayan region, one of the world's youngest and most seismically active mountain systems.
The brief tremors felt in Himachal also revived memories of the devastating 1905 Kangra earthquake, although Thursday's events were far less intense and passed without incident.
Officials said normalcy prevailed across the state and there was no cause for concern.
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