SHILLONG, JAN 4: Meghalaya ‘s residents were jolted from their sleep in the wee-hours of Monday when an earthquake with its epicenter in Manipur’s Tamenglong district rocked part of the north eastern states killings at least ten people and injuring over 100 in Manipur.
Though the tremor rocked buildings and houses in Meghalaya forcing some people to run outside but there was no report of any casualties in the state. People were shaken by the intensity of the Monday earthquake as it reminded them of the most recent Nepal earthquake that devastated the Himalayan kingdom.
Ten people died and more than 100 were reported to be injured when an earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale rocked Manipur and other north-eastern states early Monday, an official said. The death toll is expected to rise even as the rescue operation is on, he added.
The earthquake rocked India’s north-eastern states and adjoining Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan on Monday morning, the regional seismological centre in Meghalaya said.
The earthquake with its epicentre in Manipur’s Tamenglong district at 4.35 a.m. was felt in parts of Manipur, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura, said one of its official.
Manipur’s Inspector General of Police Clay Khongsai informed that the district administration was on the job to rescue trapped people. He said four to five-storey buildings in Imphal, the state capital of Manipur, collapsed. Several vehicles and goods were also damaged.
Khongsai said the Emma market – the day market for the mothers in Manipur – was cordoned off as it was badly damaged. “We are not allowing anyone to enter the market to prevent any loss of life, the police official said. Works Minister Kh Ratan accompanied by officials inspected the damage caused by the earthquake, one of the worst in the last 50 years.
Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh convened a cabinet meeting to review the situation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh discussed on phone the post-earthquake situation in the state and other areas.
Modi also spoke to home minister Rajnath Singh, who is visiting Assam and asked him to oversee the situation. India’s north-east region is considered the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world.
In September 2011, Sikkim suffered heavy damage as a quake hit the state.
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Defence PRO Group Captain Amit Mahajan informed that the Eastern Air command immediately got into the job immediately after the earthquake and airlift the NDRF team from Guwahati. Accordingly, he said one Avro aircraft transported 14 NDRF personnel and 2 tons of load while an AN 32 aircraft carried 49 NDRF personnel along with 1.3 tons of load.
Mahajan said that later the AN 32 undertook another sortie from Guwahati to convey a team of 33 NDRF personnel to Silchar.
Mahajan informed that Monday’s morning missions to deploy the NDRF team were undertaken in the shortest possible time under demanding conditions in a most professional manner.-By Our Reporter
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