Manipur, the epicentre of the earthquake, worst hit; at least nine killed and over 100 injured
Imphal/Guwahati: 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, as a strong 6.8 magnitude quake originated in Manipur yesterday morning. At least nine people were killed and over 100 injured as the quake hit the northeastern region and jolted eastern India, damaging buildings and triggering panic.
Residents gather near a collapsed building in Imphal. Pic/PTI
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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.
All the seven deaths in Manipur were reported from Jiribam area of Imphal West district, state officials said. About 100 people were injured and of them 33 were critical, official sources said.
The injured have been admitted to RIMS, JNIMS and Shija Hospital, they added.
Epicentre at Barak
The quake struck at 4.35 am with the epicentre at a depth of 17 km in Tamenglong district where many buildings collapsed or developed cracks. But no casualties were 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,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner Joseph Paulin.
Relief operations
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).
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