At least eight people were killed and over 90 injured as a strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake epicentred in Manipur today hit the northeastern region and jolted eastern India, damaging buildings and triggering panic.
While seven people, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed in Manipur's Imphal West district, one man died in Bihar's Kishanganj district.
Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor which struck at 4.35 AM, where seven persons, including an 11-year-old girl, were killed and at least 50 injured.
The quake struck at 4.35am with the epicentre at a depth of 17km in Tamenglong district where many buildings collapsed or developed cracks. But no casaulties reported from Tamenglong.
"The epicentre was near the river Barak, so there was little damage. Though cracks have been reported from many houses, so far there has been no report of any casualty," Additional Deputy Commissioner Joseph Paulin told PTI.
All the seven deaths in Manipur were reported from Jiribam area of Imphal West district, state officials said adding the names of the deceased were, however, not immediately available.
At least 70 persons were injured all over the state, army officials said. They have been admitted to RIMS, JNIMS and Shija Hospital, they added.
People were jolted out of their sleep in northeastern and eastern states including, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, and many of them scampered out of their homes.
Army and Air Force have mounted relief operations and two teams of National Disaster Response Force were rushed to Imphal while one was being sent to Assam where at least 20 people were injured.
"Damage to a few buildings, residential units and Government offices have been reported, including damage to a six storey building in Imphal," according to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Power supply to Imphal city was disrupted and some power installations have suffered damage, an official statement said after Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha held a meeting of National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) this morning.
Several building in Imphal, including the market complex, and roads developed cracks while walls of some school buildings gave way, officils said.
