Strong quake jolts India's north-east region

Guwahati, Sept 21 (PTI) A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake
shook India's north eastern state of Assam and the tremors
were also felt in nearby Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and
North Bengal but there was no immediate reports of any
casualties or damage.

The quake, which was the fifth to rock the north-east
region in the last month, sent panicky people in several areas
running into the streets. Minor cracks were reported in high
rise apartments and shopping complexes in Guwahati.

The first tremor was felt at 2.24 pm and lasted for 40
seconds followed by another for seven seconds at 2.42 pm,
Regional Seismological Centre here said. The Centre said the
quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. An aftershock also
jolted several areas in the region.

The epicentre of the quake was at Mongar, 180 km east
of Bhutan's capital Thimpu and 125 km north-west of Guwahati,
the Centre said. The epicentre in a shallow depth of 7.2 kms
was in a remote and sparsely populated area, it said.
The Lower Assam districts of Nalbari, Baksa, Kamrup and
Kokrajhar bordering Bhutan were jolted by the quake and
tremors was also felt in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and North
Bengal, officials said.

A report from Coochbehar in North Bengal said that
people rushed out of their houses as doors and windows rattled
for about 20 seconds.

In Bihar, a mild tremor was felt in Kishanganj and Araria
districts, official sources said. The tremor occured at about
2.22 pm for around two seconds in the two districts, the
sources said.

The regional meteorological office at Kolkata said the
tremor was felt between latitude 27.3 degrees north and
longitude 91.5 degrees east. PTI DG
DEP