Powerful quake hits Pak, ripples felt in Delhi, Rajasthan

A powerful quake on Wednesday struck southwestern Pakistan and its effect was felt in Delhi, Rajasthan and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana where people came out of their homes but there were no reports of any damage or loss of life.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the epicentre of the 7.4 magnitude quake on the Richter scale was located in a desert area of southwestern Pakistan bordering Iran and Afghanistan.

The quake hit the region at 1:53 am. Besides Delhi, the tremors were also felt in Jaipur, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Ganganagar, parts of Haryana and western UP. Slight tremors were also felt in Kashmir, the Met office in Srinagar said.

Delhi Police, the city's Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and the fire department said there were no reports of any damage and loss of life due to the quake.

"It was a shallow earthquake which struck at a depth of 7.4 km," an IMD official said. A DDMA official said they have received a report that a person sustained injuries when he jumped off from his second floor residence in Laxmi Nagar area after the quake. But he said he could not verify whether the man had jumped because of the tremor. "The man has been admitted to a nearby hospital and we are waiting for detailed reports," said the official.

The epicentre of the quake was located at latitude 28.9 degrees north and longitude 64 degrees east, the IMD said, categorising the earthquake as 'great'.

A US Geological Service report said the epicentre of the earthquake was located 45 km from Dalbandin in Southwest Pakistan. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake had devastated northern Pakistan and parts of Kashmir in October 2008, killing thousands of people.