Mizoram: 5.3-magnitude quake leaves roads, houses damaged; PM assures help

An earthquake of 5.3 magnitude hit Mizoram in the early hours of Monday, causing damage to houses and cracks on roads at several places, an official said.

No casualties have been reported, the official of the state Geology and Mineral Resource Department said.

Quoting the National Centre for Seismology, he said the earthquake occurred at 4.10 am and the epicentre was at Zokhawthar in Champhai district on the India-Myanmar border.

The tremors were felt in several parts of the state, including state capital Aizawl, he said.

Several houses and buildings in Champhai district, including a church in Zokhawthar, have been damaged due to the quake, he said. The quake also caused cracks on highways and roads at several places, he added. The full extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained, the official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Chief Minister Zoramthanga of all possible support from the Centre.

"Spoke to the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Shri Zoramthanga Ji, on the situation in the wake of the earthquake there. Assured all possible support from the Centre," the prime minister tweeted.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Zoramthanga and took stock of the situation. The home minister also assured the chief minister of all possible help from the central government to deal with the situation.

The depth of the quake was 20 km while the coordinates of the epicentre are 23.22 (latitude) and 93.24 (longitude), it said.

An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude also hit the state on Sunday around 4.10 pm, the tremors of which were also felt in Meghalaya and Manipur. Another earthquake of 4.6 magnitude occurred on June 18.

The Mizoram chief minister said assessment of the damage has been undertaken by the local MLA and district administration. He thanked the prime minister and the home minister for their assurance of support.

Chief Minister of neighbouring Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb said he hoped that the effect of earthquake in Mizoram was minimal and people were safe.

"People of Tripura are always with Mizoram," he added.

The Northeast falls in high seismic zone and earthquakes are frequent.

A minor earthquake on 2.8 magnitude hit Nagaland around 12.40 pm on Monday. The epicentre was 44 km away from Kohima, according to the National Centre for Seismology.