Northeast jolted awake by massive 6.8 quake

At least six people have been died after a strong 6.7 magnitude natural disaster struck northeast India near the country’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets.

The tremor hit at 4:35am local time, 33 kilometres west-northwest of the city of Imphal, capital of Manipur state, USGS said.

The quake, which was also felt in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, killed at least eight people and injured more than 200.

At least 15 people were injured across the City and are undergoing treatment in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, the sources added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties Monday on the Myanmar side of the border, a remote and sparsely populated area that suffered widespread damage this summer from landslides caused by torrential monsoon rains. No casualties were reported from Tamenglong. To assess the safety of partially damaged public buildings and advise the state government on issues related to fix and retrofitting, the National Disaster Management Authority is deploying a team of experts.

A magnitude 6.7 natural disaster struck the northeastern Indian state of Manipur early Monday morning. Shallow earthquakes tend to produce more violent shaking near the epicenter than deeper earthquakes of equal magnitude, but they tend to be felt over a smaller geographic area.

It was also decided that the Secretary, Power would send a team of engineers from Power Grid Corporation to Imphal to help the state government restore power.

“The Army and Air Force have started working on relief and rescue operations in quake-hit Manipur since yesterday”.

“Unfortunately many people were injured by falling debris so we recommend staying away from buildings in case there are aftershocks”.

India’s Meteorological Department said the epicentre of the quake was in Tamenglong region of Manipur.

Many buildings were damaged across the region as walls cracked and crumbled as the ground shook.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh discussed the post-earthquake situation in the state and other areas over the phone.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was in Guwahati, told reporters, “Even I felt it very strongly”. “We are not allowing anyone to enter the market to prevent any loss of life”, the police official said.