Two Quakes Jolt Assam; Tremors Felt In Parts Of Northeast And Bengal

Tezpur: Two earthquakes, with magnitudes of 5.8 and 3.1 on the Richter Scale, jolted several parts of Assam on Sunday. The gap between the two tremors was 13 minutes. However, no loss of life or property has been reported.

The epicentre of the earthquake that struck at 4.41 pm was in Udalguri district with a depth of five km, the Central Meteorological Centre said. The second quake struck from the same source, and a minor third quake of 2.9 magnitude struck at 5.21 pm, it added.

Many houses in Sonitpur, Gohpur, Morigaon, Nagaon and Guwahati developed cracks following the jolts. Kalpa Jyoti Nath, a Dhekiajuli resident, said, "I was very scared. Everyone was terrified as many houses and buildings cracked. Water tanks fell from the roofs of many houses."

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has issued an urgent appeal to the people and launched toll-free numbers (1079 / 1070 / 9401044617) to report damage.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said, "The epicentre (of the earthquake) was near Udalguri. So far, there has been no report of any major damage or loss of life. We are actively monitoring the situation."

Residents of Udalguri, Sonitpur, Tamulpur, Nalbari and several other districts in Assam felt the tremors, the officials said. Panic-gripped people were seen rushing out of their residences in Guwahati. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Assam earlier in the day, where he launched projects worth over Rs 18,000 crore.

People in the western parts of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh also felt the jolt. Residents in Arunachal Pradesh's capital, Itanagar, could also be seen scampering out of their houses and shops in panic.

According to state disaster management secretary Dani Sulu, no reports of structural damage or casualties have been reported from the state so far. "The situation is being closely monitored, but there is no cause for alarm," he said.

The northeastern states fall in the high seismic zone, and earthquakes frequently hit the region. A report from West Bengal said the tremors were also experienced in parts of north Bengal – Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Dooars, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar.

"I could feel the earth shaking for a few seconds. I rushed out of my house as a precautionary measure," said Bikash Dey, a Siliguri resident.

Some people also blew conch shells, a custom believed to mitigate the impacts of a quake. There was no report of any fatality or damage to structures due to the earthquake in any part of West Bengal, an official said.

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