Small earthquake rocks Assam
By IANSTuesday, February 23, 2010
GUWAHATI - An earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale rocked Assam Tuesday, triggering panic among residents.
According to the Regional Seismological Centre in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, the tremor was felt at 12.26 p.m in most parts of Assam. No casualties were reported in the first 90 minutes after the quake.
The epicentre was located at Nagaon, 127 km east of Assam’s main city Guwahati.
The tremor was felt in Guwahati, Nagaon, Tezpur and Jorhat, besides some other parts of eastern Assam.
Seven northeastern states - Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur - are considered by seismologists to be the sixth most earthquake-prone belt in the world.
The region experienced one of the worst earthquakes, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, in 1897, that claimed the lives of over 1,600 people.
