Moderate-intensity quake hits Shimla district

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

A moderate earthquake of magnitude 4.1 hit Shimla district in the wee hours of Saturday (October 17, 2026), with tremors felt in the Rampur area, about 130 km from the Himachal Pradesh capital, data showed.

According to the National Centre for Seismology, the epicentre was located at a depth of 10 km below the Earth’s surface.

No loss of life or property has been reported, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said.

The frequent occurrence of earthquakes in the hill State is a cause of alarm for the local population. Recently, mild tremors were felt in Shimla on the morning of August 26.

Himachal has experienced 67 tremors over the past three years, up to August 1, causing a loss of ₹7.05 lakh in private property, according to official data.

A few months back, under a new seismic map proposed by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the entire State was categorised into the high-risk Zone 6. However, the Centre later revoked the new classification and reinstated the previous seismic standards.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.