After a series of disastrous earthquakes wreaked havoc in Turkiye and Syria, a leading Indian scientist is now warning that there is a possibility that a "major" earthquake will strike India's Himalayan region anytime soon.
Dr N Purnachandra Rao, a seismologist and chief scientist at the Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), told Indian media that the lurking danger in the hilly states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has increased because of the rise in the movement of tectonic plates, estimated at about 5 centimeters every year.
As a result of that, a lot of stress has been recorded beneath the surface along the Himalayan region.
The scientist explained that the variometric GPS meter which was installed in the region to measure variations in Earth’s magnetic field, has shown movements and recorded changes taking place the surface.
"We have a strong network of 18 seismograph stations in Uttarakhand. The region - referred to as the seismic gap between Himachal and the western part of Nepal, including Uttarakhand - is prone to earthquakes that might occur any time," Dr Rao explains.
However, he was quick to add that the precise timing and location of the earthquake was impossible to predict.
On Tuesday, a 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck 56km north of Dharamshala area in Himachal Pradesh, the depth of which was 10km below the ground.
Last week, another earthquake struck Nandigama town in India's Andhra Pradesh state's NTR district. However, there was no report that there had been any loss of life.