Earthquake Hits Manipur, Leaves 6 Dead And 100 Injured

Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor which struck at 4.35 AM, jolting the people out of their sleep.

The epicentre of the quake was at a depth of 17km in Tamenglong district where many buildings collapsed or developed cracks.

Maj. Gen. Anurag Gupta of the National Disaster Management Authority said at least one building had collapsed in Imphal, Manipur’s capital city.

An official at one of the main hospitals in Imphal said more than 50 people had been admitted since the quake with head injuries and limb fractures.

The quake was felt in Myanmar – where officials said there were no reports of damage – and in Bangladesh and Nepal, where people ran from their homes.

Five others deaths in other parts of the state were also due to falling debris, said police officer A.K. Jalajit, and, according to the Associated Press, almost 90 members of India’s National Disaster Response Force, a specialized federal force for natural disasters, have left to check on remote areas, police said.

Khongsai said the Emma market – the day market for women in Manipur – was badly damaged and cordoned off. “We are not allowing anyone to enter the market to prevent any loss of life”.

People were jolted out of their sleep in northeastern and eastern states including, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, and many of them scampered out of their homes.

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, wrote on Twitter that he is in touch with authorities in the affected area – though some have criticised the government’s response. The epicentre of the 6.7 magnitude quake was 17 km below Noney village in Tamenglong district. People in Ranchi, Giridih, Chatra, Lohardaga districts also experienced mild tremors, officials said. I spoke to some Chief Ministers to assess the situation. Rescue teams from Guwahati, in neighbouring Assam state, were scrambling to reach Imphal.

The early morning tremor was strongly felt across northeast India and in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, where television reports said at least 24 people were taken to hospital after being injured in the scramble that ensued.