India capital shaken by 4.0-magnitude quake

India's capital New Delhi was jolted awake Monday by powerful tremors from a magnitude 4.0 quake, with its epicentre on the edge of the sprawling megacity an hour before dawn.

There were no immediate reports of major damage, but terrified residents rushed outside as buildings shook.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 4.0 quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles).

"We hope you all are safe, Delhi", police said in a post on social media, issuing an emergency number for help.

Northern India lies on a major geological faultline where the Indian tectonic plate pushes up into the Eurasian plate, forming the Himalayas, and earthquakes are a regular occurrence.