Quake rocks NE; Manipur worst hit

The eastern parts of the country along with neighbouring Bangladesh and northern part of Myanmar were jolted to the core early on Monday by massive earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale.

The powerful quake left at least eight people dead in Manipur and more than 100 injured across the state.

Several injuries were also reported in other North-Eastern states and the injured were admitted to hospitals.

The quake with its epicentre at Noney in Tamenglong district of Manipur, the worst hit, occurred at a depth of 17 km below the ground.

People in Manipur’s capital Imphal and its adjoining areas woke up to a horrifying Monday as tremors struck at 4:35 am. The quake, next only to the one that shook Manipur in 1950, left a trail of death and destruction. Even before people could come to terms with the early morning tremors, an aftershock struck at around 9:27 am, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale.

While the epicentre of the quake was traced to Noney, a small hamlet, destruction and death was high some 150 km away in Imphal, where at least eight people died and more than 100 were injured, 55 of them seriously, according to government sources.

The death toll is expected to rise, the sources said.

Rest of the Northeast also felt strong tremors. In Guwahati, two elderly people suffered cardiac arrest due to what was described as “trauma”.

At least 15 people were injured across the City and are undergoing treatment in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, the sources added. Many buildings of Guwahati, including the Medical College, developed cracks.

Similar reports were received from other parts of the state, especially upper Assam where railway tracks developed cracks, which were repaired on a war footing, Indian Railway sources told Deccan Herald.

In Southern Assam’s Karimganj district, a high tide was witnessed in the Kushiara river that flows into neighbouring Bangladesh. Massive tremors were also felt in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

Some people were injured in each of these states while some buildings developed cracks, official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up several chief ministers of the north-eastern states. He also had a separate tele-conference with Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

 “I was in Guwahati when the earthquake hit. PM called me at 6 am. He asked me to take immediate steps,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters in Assam.