Two earthquakes hit north east, no report of casualty

Two earthquakes of slight and moderate intensity shook parts of north eastern states today, but there was no report of any loss of life or damage anywhere in the region.

Panic-striken people ran out of their dwellings in many areas as the temblors were felt in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), an earthquake of 4.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale took place at 1.13am  with its epicentre located at 28.7 degree north latitude and 96.2 degree east longitude in the Arunachal Pradesh-Xizang border region. It was at a focal depth of 10km.

The second earthquake took place at 9.43am measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale with its epicentre located at 25.7 degree north latitude and 94.6 degree north longitude in the Phek region of Nagaland, the IMD said. Phek is located 80km east of Kohima and the focal depth of the tremor was 50km, it said.

In Shillong, panicked residents, including those attending church services, came out to open spaces.

There was no report of any casualty or damage to property, officials in the affected states said.