At least six people have been died after a strong 6.7 magnitude natural disaster struck northeast India near the country’s borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets.
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People rushed out of their homes before dawn on Monday morning as the tremor knocked over furniture and caused books to fall from their shelves, according to the Associated Press. Another tremor, with magnitude 3.6, was felt about five hours later. At least two gunmen were holed up in a two-story building on the Indian air force base near the Pakistan border and exchanging gunfire with troops Monday, more than two days after they and several others attacked the heavily fortified compound, officials said.
The tremors were felt as far away as Kolkata, some 600km away in West Bengal state, where buildings shook. “We all came out of the house with fear and confusion as it was still dark”, he said.
The epicenter of the natural disaster was 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Imphal.
Home Ministry spokesman Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia told CNN there was some damage to residential and government buildings in Imphal.
An official at one of the main hospitals in Imphal however said more than 50 people had been admitted since the quake with head injuries and limb fractures.
Meanwhile, Minister for PHED and Disaster Management & Rehabilitation, Takam Pario while citing the reports collected from most of the district administrations, confirmed that so far there is no report of any casualty and damages due to quake.
At the airport, flights were normal, although a boundary wall collapsed, and a crack appeared in the terminal building, said Thanglian, who works there.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi rang me up to say that funds will not stand in the way to provide relief measures to the people”, he said.
The affected region has experienced a number of powerful earthquakes attributed to the northward smashing of the Eurasian and Indian plates, moving towards one another at four to five centimeter annually. The traditional Ema Keithel (Women’s Market) was also severely damaged. In the region of the quake, the Indian plate is moving toward the north-northeast with respect to the Eurasian plate at a velocity of approximately 1.9 inches a year.
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It may be recalled here that in September 2011, Sikkim suffered heavy damage as a quake hit the state.
