A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit India’s remote northeast region before dawn on Monday, killing at least eight people, injuring 100 others and causing damage to several buildings.
Five were killed in India, the government said, while three people died in Bangladesh after suffering strokes or heart attacks following the early-morning quake.
Many of the deaths and injuries were caused by falling debris in and around Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, police said.
The powerful tremor left large cracks in walls and a portion of a popular market building collapsed in the state capital.
A newly constructed six-storey building also collapsed in Imphal, the police control room said.
The early morning tremor was also strongly felt in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Police there said nearly 60 people were being treated at a major hospital, including one university student who jumped from a fourth-floor balcony and was in a critical condition.
One 23-year-old Bangladeshi man died after suffering a stroke when he ran out of his house, while another two people – a farmer and a university official – died of heart attacks, police said.
India’s meteorological department said the epicenter of the quake was in Tamenglong region of Manipur state, near the country’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The US Geological Survey said the depth of the quake was 55km (34 miles).
The tremor hit at 4.35 am (23.05 GMT Sunday) 35km west-northwest of the city of Imphal. The area is remote with poor cellphone and internet connections, and information about conditions outside of major cities may take time to emerge.
Imphal resident Deepak Shijagurumayum – whose house was severely damaged – described scenes of chaos after the quake.
“Almost everyone was asleep when it struck and were thrown out of their beds,” Shijagurumayum told the AFP news agency by phone from the city.
“People were crying and praying in the streets and in open spaces. Hundreds remained outdoors for several hours fearing aftershocks.”
People also panicked and rushed out of their homes in Gauhati, the capital of neighbouring Assam state, as they felt massive shaking at least twice within 60 seconds.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he had spoken to local authorities in Assam about the impact of the quake.
In its initial 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”. The area is dotted with small houses and there are few tall buildings in the region.
The USGS has raised its assessment alert for casualties and damage to orange, meaning there is a 33% chance of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities.
Residents of Imphal said furniture was knocked over and books fell off shelves. “The ground swayed for almost a minute, jolting people awake in their homes,” said one resident, Apem Arthur.
The tremors were also felt in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, some 600km distant. “Many people were seen coming out of their homes in panic,” said local resident Rabin Dev.
India’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.
There were no immediate reports of casualties 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.(Associated Press and Agence France)
Link: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/04/india-earthquake-north-east-manipur-state-tremor
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