India: Earthquake - Mar 1999

An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude on the Richter scale shook northern India at 00h 35 local time today (19 05 GMT, 28 March). The epicentre was in Chamoli district, in Uttar Pradesh, 295 km north-east of Delhi and 120 km from Dehra Dun, close to the border with China and Nepal. The earthquake was strong enough to wake up people in New Delhi and the effects were felt as far afield as Pune in Central India, nearly 1000 km away. At least 60 people are known to have been killed, but search and rescue teams have not yet reached all of the affected areas. Scores more have been injured by the initial earthquake and a string of aftershocks. Since the first estimates indicate up to 90% of the houses have been destroyed in Chamoli, a semi-urban area of 50,000 people, officials fear they may find many more casualties. Most of the damage is expected to be within the 50 km radius of the epicentre (30.49N 79.29E). A 16 km stretch of road leading to Chamoli has been blocked by landslides and telecommunications have also been badly affected. The remoteness of outlying villages in the region is slowing access by emergency teams. (IFRC, 29 Mar 1999)

The United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in New Delhi has reported that the earthquake which hit the Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts in the State of Uttar Pradesh on 28 March was followed by tremor shocks continuing up until 1 April. [...] In total, 100 people were killed, 394 injured, 804 villages or 372,000 people were affected, and over 21,100 houses destroyed. (OCHA, 9 Apr 1999)