Trekkers feel mild tremors on Khopra Ridge and Sandakphu treks

With the latest reports of a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Nepal, our immediate worry was our trekkers in Nepal. Good news is that they're all safe.

Trek Leader Diptarko Gupta shares from Nepal, "We had a mild earthquake here at Pokhara around 30 mins back. Some trekkers who were in the 4th floor felt mild tremors. Epicenter was around 80kms from here towards Kathmandu." Diptarko is leading our final group to khopra ridge for the season. "We are all set to leave in good, sunny weather," he reports.

"We felt mild tremors at Sepi too," shares Areeb, Indiahikes Slope Manager for the Sandakphu trek.

While the effects of the earthquake have been minor, the frequency of the earthquakes jolting the Himalayas is worrying.

"It's better if there are multiple tiny jolts instead of one big jolt," shares Arjun Majumdar, founder, CEO of Indiahikes, adding that "We are perpetually worried about seismic activities of the two continental plates below the Himalayas. A big earthquake is eminent, we just don't know when," he worries.

It is purely for this reason that all Indiahikes campuses at Raithal, Sari, Kharchi, Lohajung and Manali are semi-permanent constructions.

"All our housing quarters are in tented accommodations. We consciously got out of concrete structures like lodges and hotels keeping our trekkers and our own team's safety in mind. In case there's a big earthquake, nothing concrete is going to harm them," shares Arjun.

But this tented accommodation isn't an option in Nepal where we have 3-4 treks, which is why our worry doubles when we hear of earthquakes in Nepal.

Thankfully, this time, there's no damage done. Trekkers are safe and carrying on.