Six buildings in Delhi developed cracks today due to the high intensity earthquake, epicentred in Nepal, which shook northern and eastern parts of the country, sending panicked residents running out of their buildings and onto the roads and parks.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who held a meeting with Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and other government agencies to take stock of the situation, was informed that there was no significant damage to any building and there was no cause for any concern.

The three Municipal Corporation commissioners, who were at the meeting, said hairline cracks due to the earthquake were seen in three buildings in east district, minor cracks were reported in two buildings in south and one building was affected in north district.

Officials said their teams had visited these sites and cracks were assessed.

“There has been no significant damage to any structure or building and there is no cause for concern,” an official statement said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Police Commissioner B S Bassi, senior officials of Public Works Department (PWD), Health, police and revenue districts were present at the meeting to check the quake-preparedness of the city.

PWD informed that all the flyovers were checked and no damage was detected post the earthquake.

According to DDMA, their control room has been beefed up so that people can give information and it can be shared with the concerned authority.

DDMA control room is operational 27/7 and can be reached on 1077.

“After the earthquake, we analysed the calls received every half an hour to keep a tab on the situation in Delhi. Quick reaction teams and control rooms in all the 11 districts were alerted for any eventuality,” a DDMA statement said.

Civil defense teams have been activated and their members are making visits and spreading awareness in their respective areas.

During the meeting municipal commissioners were asked to set up control rooms in their offices.

Health department was directed to ensure that all hospitals and their disaster management wards are operational.

Earlier, Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the people to maintain calm.

“Earthquake tremors in Delhi. I appeal to people to maintain calm. Officials out in the field to assess the situation,” he said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Delhi government said it was monitoring the situation and that the district magistrates of all the districts have been assigned to assess any damage.

A senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said that although services were not suspended, they were put on restricted mode by slowing down the Metro trains, that caused a little delay in the services.

A powerful earthquake, epicentred in Nepal, measuring 7.9 on Richter scale, killed nearly 900 people, including 34 in India, and injured several thousands as it shook northern and eastern parts of the country.

Earthquake: Health services put on high alert

Health services have been put on the “high alert” following the massive earthquake originating in Nepal which has so far claimed the lives of at least 34 people in India and injured over 100 people.

Health Ministry officials said that they have taken complete stock of the situation and are ready to rush medical teams and medicines to the worst-hit states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as well as Nepal.

Health Minister J P Nadda is personally monitoring the situation on an hourly basis and has conducted a complete detailed review of the situation and given instructions.

“Saddened by the loss of life and property in today’s earthquake. Have put health services on high alert,” Nadda tweeted. This comes after Health Secretary B P Sharma held meetings with Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth.

A senior Health Ministry official said that, “As far as sending a team of doctors or medicines to Nepal is concerned, the entire thing right now is being decided at the PMO level. We have made our preparations.

“We are in a position to rush our medical teams within no time as soon as we get the directive. We are also in a position to rush enough supply of medicines and medical equipments. We have made all the preparations. We are ready to go.”

The official said that the Ministry is also keeping a close watch on Bihar and UP. Of these 34 dead, 23 were killed in Bihar, eight in Uttar Pradesh and three in West Bengal.

“The health services in these two states have been put on the highest alert. We have also conveyed informally to the states that whatever help is required, we are ready to rush medicines, doctors team, paramedics or equipments,” the official said.

Over 700 people were killed after the powerful quake measuring 7.9 on Richter scale struck Nepal today flattening houses and buildings including the centuries-old Dharhara tower and triggering an avalanche on Mt Everest.

The official said that they are also in touch with NDMA which is the coordinating agency and apprising them about the Ministry’s preparedness.

EARTHQUAKES-TIMELINE
List of deadliest earthquakes of the past 30 years:
— August 11, 2012: Twin earthquakes with a magnitude 6.3 and 6.4 leave 306 dead and more than 3,000 injured near the Iranian city of Tabriz.

— March 11, 2011: Nearly 18,900 are killed when a tsunami triggered by a massive magnitude 9.0 undersea quake slams into the northeast coast of Japan, triggering a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant.

— October 23, 2011: An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude rocks eastern Turkey, leaving more than 600 dead and at least 4,150 injured.

— January 12, 2010: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Haiti, leaving between 250,000 and 300,000 dead.

— April 14, 2010: A 6.9-magnitude quake hits Yushu county in northwest China’s Qinghai province leaving 3,000 people dead and missing.

— May 12, 2008: A quake measuring 8.0 hits China’s southwest province of Sichuan, leaving more than 87,000 people dead or missing.

— May 27, 2006: A powerful quake in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta region kills 6,000 and leaves 1.5 million homeless.

— October 8, 2005: An earthquake of 7.6 kills more than 75,000 people, the vast majority of them in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Some 3.5 million are displaced.

— March 28, 2005: An earthquake on Indonesia’s Nias island off Sumatra leaves 900 dead.

— December 26, 2004: A massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra island triggers a tsunami which kills 220,000 in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.

— December 26, 2003: A quake measuring 6.7 hits the Iranian city of Bam, killing at least 31,884 people and injuring 18,000.

— January 26, 2001: A massive 7.7 earthquake hits the western Indian state of Gujarat, killing 25,000 people and injuring 166,000.

— September 30, 1993: A 6.3-magnitude quake hits the western Indian state of Maharashtra, killing 7,601.

— October 20, 1991: A quake measuring 6.6 hits the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh state in India, killing 768.

— August 20, 1988: A magnitude 6.8 quake hits eastern Nepal, killing 721 people in Nepal and at least 277 in the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar.

— July 28, 1976: A magnitude 7.8 quake hits Tangshan, in north China’s Hebei province. Officials said 242,000 people died, although some western sources said the toll was higher.

— January 15, 1934: Magnitude 8.1 quake hits eastern Nepal and Bihar state in neighbouring India killing 10,700 people.

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