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Trekkers feel mild tremors on Khopra Ridge and Sandakphu treks

Trekkers feel mild tremors on Khopra Ridge and Sandakphu treks

Category News

By Swathi Chatrapathy

2023-10-22

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.

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Indiahikes team sets off on the Khopra Ridge trek from Pokhara on Oct 22nd

"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.

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All our campuses have tent-style accommodation to protect trekkers and Indiahikes team members during earthquakes

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.

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Swathi Chatrapathy

Chief Editor

About the author

Swathi Chatrapathy heads the digital content team at Indiahikes. She is also the face behind India's popular trekking video channel, Trek With Swathi. Unknown to many, Swathi also writes a weekly column at Indiahikes which has more than 100,000 followers.

A TEDx speaker and a frequent guest at other events, Swathi is a much sought after resource for her expertise in digital content.

Before joining Indiahikes, Swathi worked as a reporter and sub-editor at a daily newspaper. She holds a Masters's in Digital Journalism and continues to contribute to publications. Trekking, to her, is a sport that liberates the mind more than anything else. Through trekking, Swathi hopes to bring about a profound impact on a person's mind, body and spirit.

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