Quake strikes northeast India; toll reaches 5, nearly 100 injured

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country’s remote northeast region before dawn on Monday, killing at least five people, injuring 100 others and causing damage to several buildings. Tremors were also felt across the belt, including in the bordering regions of Myanmar, Bangladesh and Tibet.

There were reports of damage to several buildings in Imphal, the capital of Manipur. The tremor left large cracks in several walls and a portion of one building collapsed, police said.

Three persons were killed in the building collapse. The Manipur administration began rescue operations in the area with the help of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces.

“Five people are confirmed dead,” Anurag Gupta of the National Disaster Management Authority told a news agency.

Several reports said there were power failures in several areas hit by the earthquake. A newly constructed six-storey building also collapsed in Imphal.

In West Bengal, a few persons sustained injuries and three were admitted to hospital in the North Bengal town of Siliguri. Of the three, one had an injury to the nose, one to the head and the third suffered trauma.

Tremors were felt at 4:35 am, but there was no widespread panic as most were deep in sleep.

Across the border in Bangladesh, one man reportedly died of a heart attack following the quake.

Home minister Rajnath Singh who was in Guwahati on Sunday night as part of his two-day trip to Assam, also felt the quake. The minister briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone about the situation to discuss rescue and relief operations.

Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams of 90 personnel each have been instructed to rush to Imphal from Guwahati, the home ministry informed. Two other disaster response teams were being sent to Manipur.

A home ministry spokesperson also said that the National Crisis Management Committee, headed by the cabinet secretary, is holding a meeting to review the situation.

MHA is actively monitoring the situation after the earthquake in the North East region. NDRF teams have been rushed to affected areas.

— HMO India (@HMOIndia) January 4, 2016

The meteorological department said the epicentre of the quake was in Tamenglong region of Manipur. It struck at a depth of 17km in the India-Myanmar border region. The US Geographical Survey (USGC) said the epicenter was 29 kilometeres west-northwest from Imphal.

An injured woman stands with others as she waits for treatment at Siliguri Hospital following an earthquake that struck northeast India. (AFP)

In its initial impact assessment, USGS said “some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localised”.

It said buildings in the area were largely “highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking”.

WATCH: Building collapsed in Imphal after #earthquake hit the regionhttps://t.co/fGV8uD9cKP

— ANI (@ANI_news) January 4, 2016

Jitendra Singh, MoS (independent charge), ministry of development of North Eastern region said the Centre was in touch with the affected state and was following developments closely. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also said the situation was being monitored and that the Prime Minister was apprised of the situation.

Spoke to Rajnath ji, who is in Assam, on the situation arising due to the earthquake & asked him to oversee the situation.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2016

People panicked and rushed out of their homes in Guwahati, the capital of neighbouring state of Assam, as they felt massive tremors at least twice within 60 seconds. While Guwahati experienced tremors, several buildings in Silchar were damaged.

The Northeast Frontier Railway suspended train movement for two hours immediately after the earthquake.

In Imphal, residents said furniture was knocked over and books fell off shelves but no major damage has been reported so far.

“The ground swayed for almost a minute, jolting people awake in their homes,” said one resident, Apem Arthur.

The area is dotted with small houses. There are few tall buildings in the region, she said.

The country’s seven northeastern states, joined to the rest of the country by a narrow sliver of land, are located in an area of frequent seismic activity. The border region is remote and sparsely populated on the Myanmar side.

The tremors were also felt in Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar.

“I was sleeping when the tremors woke me up. I ran out of the house as it continued for almost a minute,” said Rajiv Pandey, a Kokar resident in Ranchi. No major damage was immediately reported in Jharkhand, an official of the disaster management department said.

Hajipur, Gaya and Patna were also jolted by the tremors that lasted for about 5-6 seconds at around 4:40 am. State disaster management sources said that so far no reports of damage has been reported from any part.

In West Bengal, despite the early hour, many were woken up by shaking beds, flooding social media with posts within minutes of the incident. As usual residents of high-rise buildings felt the tremors more than those living closer to the ground.

However, parts of North Bengal such as the town of Siliguri felt the tremors stronger than in the capital Kolkata, or south Bengal.

China’s state news agency Xinhua reported tremors being felt in southeast Tibet as well, with the prefectures of Nyingchi, Shannan and Qamdo and Lhasa feeling “strong tremors”.

The head of Nyingchi’s Metok county said the tremor was so strong that the local government asked township and village officials to check for possible casualties or damage.

Metok sits close to the epicentre Tamenglong district of Manipur.

The earthquake raised fears of the Nepal-like tragedy where hundreds were injured and buildings severely damaged following an earthquake in April and May last year. The tectonic disturbance lies in the same geographical region.