New Delhi:
There has been an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale in Assam. A low intensity quake was felt in Delhi too.
The tremor that shook Assam had its epicenter in Bhutan. It was the fifth tremor felt in Assam in the last one month and was of a longer duration than the others. The region was hit by major earthquakes in 1950 and 1897. The quake left cracks in some buildings in Guwahati.
The regional meteorological office at Kolkata said the tremor was felt at latitude 27.3 degrees north and longitude 91.5 degrees east in the region centering Bhutan. A report from Coochbehar in North Bengal said people rushed out of their houses as doors and windows rattled for about 20 seconds.
"I dragged my family out. ... We ran down the staircase from our third floor apartment," said Sadeq Hazarika, an Assam state official who lives in Guwahati. "We saw our building developing a big crack. This was the biggest tremor I felt in many years."
The quake briefly rocked Bhutan's capital. "We felt a strong shock for a moment, one second. People panicked and rushed out of their homes and businesses,'' said Tashi Dhendup, who runs a travel agency in Thimpu. He was not aware of any damage to buildings in that city.
No casualties had been reported yet. More details are awaited.
The quake was also felt in Bangladesh and Lhasa. There were no signs of damage in either place, officials said. There was also an earthquake in Delhi on Monday at 3.14pm. It measured at 4.7 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was in Uttarkashi.