An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale struck the mountainous district of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand on Saturday night. Data compiled by the National Centre for Seismology placed the epicenter two kilometres northwest of the Uttarkashi district headquarters at a shallow depth of 11 kilometres.
The sudden tremor, recorded at 8:07 p.m., sent sharp vibrations through Uttarkashi town and the adjoining Yamunotri valley. Residents spilled out onto open streets and courtyards in panic as household articles and television sets rattled violently inside homes.
Officials of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority stated that field units across the district were activated immediately following the shock. Preliminary assessments conducted by district administration teams confirmed that no loss of life or damage to infrastructure had been reported from the affected terrain.
Saturday's seismic event marked the second tremor above magnitude 4.0 to register in the hill state within a span of four days. Earlier on October 6, a stronger 4.9-magnitude earthquake had rattled the neighboring Chamoli district. Additionally, low-intensity tremors were recorded in the Bageshwar district merely four hours prior to the Uttarkashi event.
Geologists classify large parts of Uttarakhand within high-risk seismic zones IV and V, rendering the region structurally vulnerable to frequent tectonic adjustments along the Himalayan belt. The state disaster response force remains on standby as local authorities continue monitoring subsequent micro-seismic activity in the upper reaches of the district.