Magnitude 4.1 earthquake hits Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh; no damage reported

An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 hit Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh in the early hours of Saturday, 17 October, according to data from the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). Officials said no deaths or damage to property had been reported.

• Magnitude: 4.1
• Time: 4:36:27 am IST, 17 October 2026 (NCS)
• Epicentre: 31.298° N, 77.529° E, in Shimla district
• Depth: 10 km
• Damage: none reported, according to the State Disaster Management Authority

Where the tremor was felt

The NCS placed the epicentre in Shimla district at a depth of 10 km, Zee News reported, putting the location roughly 24 km from Rohru. Shaking lasted a few seconds and was felt in the Rampur area, about 130 km from the state capital, according to a PTI report published by Telangana Today. Zee News reported that tremors were also noticed in Shimla and surrounding areas.

“No loss of life or property has been reported,” the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) said, as quoted by PTI. Zee News reported that disaster management teams in the state remained on alert while field checks continued.

A seismically active state

Himachal Pradesh lies in seismic zones 4 and 5, which are classed as high-risk, PTI noted. According to official data cited in the PTI report, the state recorded 67 tremors over a three-year period ending 1 August, which together caused about ₹7.05 lakh in damage to private property.

PTI also reported that a Bureau of Indian Standards proposal to move the whole state into a new, higher-risk Zone 6 had later been withdrawn by the Centre, which restored the earlier classification.

Zee News noted that the Himalayan belt sees frequent earthquakes because the Indian plate continues to push against the Eurasian plate, and that seismologists have not linked Saturday’s tremor to other recent quakes in the region, such as a magnitude 4.9 event in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, on 6 October.

Sources: Telangana Today (PTI), Zee News