Earthquake of 5.4 magnitude hits Bangaladesh, Meghalaya, parts of Assam

An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude hit Bangladesh and the north-east region of India on Monday evening with tremors being felt in Meghalaya and Barak Valley districts of Assam, officials said here.

The quake's epicentre was located near Kanaighat town in Bangladesh, they said. There was no immediate report of any loss of life or damage to property, the officials said.

The earthquake took place at 8.19 pm, and the location was 49 km south-east of Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya, the National Center for Seismology said, adding that the depth of the quake was 16 km.

'The epicentre was in Bangladesh, close to Dawki area of West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya,' said an official of the Regional Seismological Centre here.

The tremor was felt across Meghalaya and in Assam's Guwahati city and Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts of Barak Valley besides parts of West Bengal.

'We have not received any report of loss of life or damage to property,' said an official of the disaster management authority here.

The northeastern states fall in the high seismic zone, and earthquakes frequently hit the region.