5.8-magnitude quake hits North East; no loss of life, damage reported

An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck parts of the North-east and West Bengal on Sunday. No reports of casualties or property damage have emerged, Assam government officials told news agency PTI.

 

Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage. The tremor occurred at 4:41 pm on Sunday, with its epicentre in Assam’s Udalguri district. The earthquake originated at a shallow depth of 5 kilometres, they added.

 

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Assam to inaugurate projects, including energy projects, worth over ₹18,000 crore.

 

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on social media website X, stated that the earthquake’s epicentre was near Udalguri and that, so far, no significant damage or loss of life has been reported. The CM added that authorities are actively monitoring the situation.

 

Residents in Udalguri, Sonitpur, Tamulpur, Nalbari and several other districts reported feeling the tremors. In Guwahati, panicked citizens were seen rushing out of their homes. People in western parts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh also experienced the jolt. In Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, residents hurriedly evacuated homes and shops in fear.

 

“No structural damage or casualties have been reported in the state, and the situation is being closely monitored. He emphasised that there is no reason for alarm,” Dani Sulu, secretary of the State Disaster Management Authority, said.

 

The North-east region of India lies in a high seismic zone, making it prone to frequent earthquakes.

 

In West Bengal, tremors were felt in parts of North Bengal, including Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, the Dooars, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar. Siliguri resident Bikash Dey said, “I could feel the earth shaking for a few seconds, so I rushed out of my house as a precaution.” Some locals also blew conch shells, a traditional practice believed to lessen the effects of earthquakes.