Dutch Scientist’s Earthquake Prediction Raises Questions Amid Nepal Quake

Dutch researcher Frank Hoogerbeets, known for his earthquake forecasts, predicted a seismic event in or near Pakistan shortly before a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. However, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) maintains that predicting massive earthquakes is currently impossible.

Hoogerbeets had forecasted a severe earthquake for Pakistan, citing sudden surges in electrical charge fluctuations. He had pinpointed a likely timeframe for this earthquake between October 1 and 3. However, Pakistan’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) rejected Hoogerbeets’ claims, asserting that earthquake timing could not be reliably predicted.

On October 3, Nepal experienced a series of four earthquakes, with the most powerful registering a magnitude of 6.3. The initial earthquake, measuring 4.6 in magnitude, occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres at 2:25 PM local time in western Nepal. Shortly after, at 2:51 PM, a stronger jolt of magnitude 6.3 struck at a depth of 5 kilometres. Two additional earthquakes, with magnitudes of 3.6 and 3.1, hit the same region at depths of 15 kilometres and 10 kilometres at 3:06 PM and 3:19 PM, respectively.