Earthquake today in Guwahati

Earthquake today in Guwahati: Epicentre on India-Myanmar border; Kolkata, Siliguri, other cities shaken too

Earthquake today: A major earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale today hit areas around the Indo-Myanmar border and its tremors were felt in the northeast, West Bengal, Bihar and other parts of the country.

Earthquake today: A major earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale today hit areas around the India-Myanmar border and its tremors were felt in the northeast, West Bengal, Bihar and other parts of the country. Strong tremors were felt in Kolkata and other parts of North India and it stretched to the national capital itself. Earthquake was felt in Nepal as well. Seven of the northeastern states, where the quake was at its severest,  – Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur — are considered by seismologists as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world.

Panic gripped people forcing them to rush out of their homes, while Kolkata Metro services also affected. In the suburban Salt Lake on the northeastern fringes of the city, cracks appeared in the walls of some houses.

According to National Centre of Seismology (NCS), the earthquake occurred at 7:25 PM at the depth of 134 km.

Electricity was cut off in parts of northeastern India as thermal power stations were shut down as a precautionary measure. “I felt the tremor three times. I saw people rushing out,” said Rupak De Chowdhuri, a Reuters photographer in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. Britain’s Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were visiting the northeastern Indian state of Assam on Wednesday, were safe, the British High Commission in New Delhi said.

Tremors shook Assam’s main city Guwahati and adjoining areas, causing minor damage to some high rise buildings. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said no major damage had been reported so far.

People took to social media to post their reactions to the tremors even as many prayed for the safety of others.

The US Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.9 quake struck today at a depth of 135 kilometers. Germany’s Research Center for Geosciences says the magnitude was 7.1. The USGS says the quake’s epicenter was 396 kilometers north of Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw.

Strong tremors were felt in Tibet too after a 7.2-magnitude quake. State-run Xinhua news agency said the tremors were felt in Lhasa, the regional capital of the Tibet Autonomous region. According to China Earthquake Networks Centre, a 7.2 magnitude quake jolted Myanmar today.

What to do during a quake:

*Drop down to the floor and take cover under a bed or table.
*Don’t use lifts. Take stairs instead – you don’t want to be trapped in there.
*If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.
*Best option is to rush out to open grounds.
*Relax and stay calm.
*Gas cylinders must be switched off.

Burma has been hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake

A 6.9 magnitude earthquake has struck Burma, with tremors being felt as far away as India.
The US Geological Survey recorded the epicentre 46 miles south-east of Mawlaik, at a depth of around 80 miles.

Phil Hughes, who works in the country's second-largest city of Mandalay, told The Independent that he felt shaking for around a minute but was unhurt.

There were scenes of panic in Yangon after the quake struck, according to witnesses, but authorities there said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The epicentre of the earthquake in Burma on 13 April 2016 (US Geological Survey)

An Associated Press journalist who was in one of the city's hospitals at the time said the seven-story building shook strongly twice, for at least a minute.

Many people in the hospital, including patients, staff and visitors, ran out of the building and began calling their loved ones.

Aung Thu, who was taking care of his elder brother, said: “I was sleeping on my bed when suddenly I felt the ground shaking. The first time it was intense, but the second time it was lighter."

He said he was on the third floor of the Shwegonedine Specialist Center hospital, and as soon as he felt the quake he called his wife and son to tell them to be “prepared for the worst.”

The quake, centered in the jungle and hills northwest of Mandalay, hit at 2.55pm BST - 8.25pm local time.

Strong tremors were felt in India's eastern city of Guwahati and other areas of Assam near where the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge are visiting during their royal tour.

The biggest earthquakes in the world since 1900

“We felt the tremor very strongly, but all is fine,” said British Deputy High Commissioner Scott Furssedonn-Wood, who was staying in the same jungle resort as the royal couple. 

In Assam's capital, Gauhati, people rushed outdoors as they felt strong tremors and buildings swaying, while a failure at a power station caused outages in several parts of the state.

People also reported feeling shaking West Bengal, Tripura and in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, 300 miles from the epicentre.

Burma is affected by seismic activity in the Himalayas caused by the continuing collision between the Indian and Eurasian continental plates.

The USGS calls the area “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on earth” because of the numerous earthquakes generated.

Several fault-lines run through Burma, which has seen several major earthquakes and deadly landslides in recent decades.