India: 6.7 Earthquake Hits Manipur Killing at Least Nine People

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake has hit northeast India, near its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, killing at least nine people.

The quake hit at 04:35 local time on January 4 about 18 miles northwest of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Strong tremors have been felt across the region.

The quake was originally reported to have measured 6.8-magnitude.

India’s Meteorological Department said the tremor struck at a depth of 10 miles.

Photo AP

The quake cracked walls and a newly-built six-storey building in Imphal collapsed, police said. Other buildings were also reported to have been damaged.

At least six people have been killed in Manipur and more than 30 injured, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

In the neighburing Bangladesh, three people were reported dead while dozens were being treated in hospital for injuries sustained during the quake.

A 23-year-old man died when he suffered a stroke after the quake while two others died of heart attacks, AFP quoted police as saying.

A university student, who jumped from a fourth-floor balcony to escape, was among the critically wounded, the agency added.

Deepak Shijagurumayum, a resident of Imphal, told AFP by phone that his house was severely damaged by the quake.

Shaking was felt as far away as Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), 370 miles away.

Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted that he had spoken to the region’s chief ministers and federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh “on the situation arising in the wake of the earthquake”.

Casualties have not yet been reported on the Myanmar side of the border, which is sparsely populated.

The region has a history of powerful earthquakes caused by the northward collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. They are moving towards each other at a rate of 4-5cm per year.