The Chief Scientist of National Geophysical Research Institute’s (NGRI) Dr N Purnachandra Rao warned on Tuesday against a higher possibility of an earthquake of high magnitude in India in the near future.

Rao said that the India plate is moving about five cm per year which is leading to the accumulation of stress along the Himalayas which may result in an earthquake in Uttarakhand.

He quoted by ANI saying, “Earth’s surface comprises various plates that are constantly in motion. The Indian plate is moving about 5 cm per year, leading to accumulation of stress along the Himalayas increasing the possibility of a greater earthquake.”

“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 at any time,” he added.

In the first week of February, two massive earthquakes struck in Turkey killing more than 41,000 people. As the nation was rescuing several under the rubble, another high magnitude earthquake hit the nation on Monday night.