A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake, epicentred in Myanmar, on Wednesday struck several parts of east and northeast India including Bihar, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal and Tripura, triggering panic but there were no immediate reports of human casualties or damage to property.
The epicentre of the quake was 58 km deep below the earth's surface at Chauk, a small town in north-central Myanmar, according to the National Centre for Seismology, a unit of Ministry of Earth Sciences. The United States Geological Survey put the intensity of the quake at 6.8 on the Richter scale.
Tremors were also felt in several parts of north India including Gurgaon, Manesar and Bhondsi in Haryana, authorities said.
Panic stricken people in Kolkata, Patna and Guwahati were seen rushing out of their homes and offices into the streets immediately after the quake struck at 4:04 pm.
Director of Bihar's Met office A K Sen said some old buildings developed cracks following the quake but there was no immediate report of any casualty or damage to property.
People in many Bihar towns including Darbhanga, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur and Sitamarhi, prone to quakes, rushed to open spaces as earth shook violently.
In Odisha, tremors were felt in places like Cuttack, Paradip, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Keonjhar, officials said.
The quake in Assam followed two other tremors that shook the state on Tuesday. Earthquakes measuring 3.1 and 5.5 on the Richter scale had jolted Assam at 5.30 am and 7.41 am on Tuesday.
Gurgaon's District Public Relations Officer R S Sangwan said tremors were also felt in the satellite township.
IMAGE: People vacate their offices and stand outside after the alerts of earthquake, in Kolkata on Wednesday. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI
