Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district experienced two back-to-back earthquakes early Wednesday, with the second tremor measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale.
According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the 4.0 magnitude quake struck at 4:39 AM at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres. Its coordinates were recorded at 32.71°N latitude and 76.11°E longitude.
Just over an hour earlier, at 3:27 AM, Chamba was jolted by another quake of magnitude 3.3, which occurred at a depth of 20 kilometres.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh continues to grapple with widespread devastation caused by heavy monsoon rains and cloudbursts. In Kullu’s Lagghati area, Deputy Commissioner Torul S. Ravish reported significant damage to infrastructure, including the washing away of the Hanumani Bag bridge, damage to the road near Bhootnath Bridge, destruction of a cremation ground, and damage to two shops, two vegetable stalls, one house, and the Ropdi Bhutthi Bridge.
The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) reported that since June 20, the monsoon has claimed 276 lives across the state. Of these, 143 deaths occurred in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts, while 133 were linked to road accidents caused by unsafe conditions during continuous rainfall.
The state has also suffered extensive economic losses, estimated at over ₹2,21,000 lakh (₹2,211.64 crore). According to HPSDMA, 1,104 homes were completely destroyed, along with 37 shops and factories, 2,416 cowsheds and rural structures. Additionally, over 27,500 livestock and poultry birds perished in the rains.
