Kangra, February 19
The rumour of an expected earthquake in the Kangra valley forced thousands of residents in the region to rush out into the streets after midnight.
Telephones started ringing at 1 a.m. waking up residents from their cozy beds. Most residents got calls on mobile and on landline phones from relatives informing that an earthquake was expected at 3 a.m. The rumour
spread like wildfire in the dead of night and people rushed out of their homes to go to safer places. Incessant rain and intense cold did not deter people from spending the night in the open.
Reports of panic stricken people rushing to safer places were also received from Nagrota Bagwan, Palampur, Pathiar, Droh, Gaggal Ansoli and other places.
Unexpected inclement weather, coinciding with the completion of 100 years of disastrous earthquake, which had claimed 10,000 lives and had caused immense damage to property in the Kangra valley, had added to the spreading of the rumour.
Mr Rakesh Mohan Sharma, in charge of the seismology centre at Naddi told The Tribune that it was a false alarm and the rumour was started by some mischievous elements. He said an earthquake can’t be predicted in advance.
Dharamsala: The word doing the rounds here was that Dalai Lama had given a prediction that a major quake would hit the region. “We had heard about Tibetans holding prayers to avoid such natural calamities and the story sounded convincing,” said Mr Prakash Bansal, a resident of Depot Bazar.
The Central Tibetan Administration clarified that there was no such prediction.
“In Jwalaji and Kangra, some persons said the idol of Bhairon at the main temple had developed a crack and the priests had predicted that this meant end of Kangra district,” said an official in Jwalaji. Reports of such rumours were also received from Nurpur, Jwalaji, Kulu and Mandi.
