Atleast 5 Dead, 50 Injured as a Earthquake Of 6.7 Magnitude Hits Northeast India.

Imphal:  At least five persons were killed and over 50 injured as a strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake with epicentre in Manipur today hit the northeastern region, causing damage to many buildings and spreading panic.

Three people have also died in Bangladesh which was jolted by strong tremors; around 40 are injured.

The US Geological Survey said the quake of magnitude 6.7 was 57 kilometres (35 miles) deep and struck 29 kilometres (18 miles) west of Imphal, the capital of Manipur on the border with Myanmar.

The quake struck while many residents were asleep, and roofs and staircases of some buildings collapsed in the city of about 2,70,000 people.

Jolted from their sleep, people ran out of their houses in panic. Many buildings collapsed in Tamenglong while several others in Imphal, including the market complex, developed cracks, sources said. Electricity connection was cut off in the state soon after the quake.

A girl was killed in a building collapse at Tamenglong district, while another person died at Taobungkhok village in Imphal West district, police said.

Nearly 20 persons were injured in Guwahati and other areas in Assam due to the earthquake, Assam Commissioner and Secretary (Disaster Management) Pramod Kumar Tiwari told PTI.

Officials said at least 30 buildings have developed cracks.

"It was the biggest earthquake we've felt in Imphal," disaster response worker Kanarjit Kangujam told news agency Reuters by telephone.Disaster rescue workers battled to find workers believed to have been buried beneath the rubble of a building that had been under construction. They were unsure how many might be trapped.

Residents of Imphal said people fled their homes and power and telecoms links were down in the remote region.

Some lashed out at what they called the authorities' slow response, saying that although the Army had begun to clear some debris, it appeared to be short on heavy equipment. "We haven't seen any help from the government side until now," said Kangujam, the disaster response volunteer in Manipur. "The government has not given us any information."

Government officials leading the rescue effort could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was in touch with authorities in the northeast.

 
Rescue teams from Guwahati, in neighbouring Assam, were scrambling to reach Imphal.

 Tremors were also felt in parts of West Bengal and Odisha (Agence France-Presse photo)

People in Bangladesh and Nepal ran from their homes, and the quake was also felt as far away as the Myanmar city of Yangon, about 1,176 km (730 miles) to the south, residents said. 



source:ndtv and PTI

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