Three injured as 5.1-magnitude quake hits Assam

Guwahati/Morigaon, Jan 5 (PTI) At least three people were injured in an earthquake of 5.1 magnitude, which jolted central Assam in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

Minor damage was also caused to some houses in Morigaon district, they said.

A National Center for Seismology (NCS) report said the quake was recorded at 4:17 am in Morigaon district on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra, at a depth of 50 km.

The exact location of the epicentre of the earthquake is at a latitude 26.37 N and longitude of 92.29 E in central Assam, it added.

People in the neighbouring Kamrup Metropolitan, Nagaon, East Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Hojai, Dima Hasao, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar and Goalpara districts also felt the jolt.

Darrang, Tamulpur, Sonitpur, Kamrup, Biswanath, Udalguri, Nalbari, Bajali, Barpeta, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Lakhimpur on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra too felt the tremor.

The earthquake could be felt in central-western Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and northern West Bengal, the NCS report said.

Central-eastern Bhutan, parts of China and Bangladesh were also shaken, according to the report.

The tremor forced people to scamper out of their homes to open areas from their sleep.

While running out, a few people suffered injuries in Morigaon and are being treated at different health centres, a senior official said.

Joymoti Dewri (80), a resident of Na Dalbori village in Mikirbheta circle, sustained a head injury while rushing out of her home, a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

Her family members immediately took her to Morigaon Civil Hospital for treatment, it added.

Manoj Kumar of the same village also sustained injuries. He has been admitted to the hospital and is stated to be out of danger, Morigaon district PRO S Buragohain said.

An updated report by ASDMA said that one more person sustained injuries in Morigaon district and is under treatment.

Buragohain said that some cracks were visible in a few dwelling units in the bordering areas of Nagaon and Morigaon districts after the quake.

However, no major damage was reported by the District Disaster Management Authority, he added.

Houses were also damaged in Nalbari district, while a primary school was partially damaged in Nagaon, ASDMA said.

"The main gate of a temple (Haleswar Dewalai) was partially damaged under Tezpur revenue circle in Sonitpur district," it added.

The Northeastern region falls in the high seismic zone, making earthquakes frequently hit the region. PTI TR COR TR RG