6.4 magnitude strikes Assam, 10 more follow; buildings damaged

(Eds: With fresh inputs) Guwahati/New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) A series of earthquakes jolted Assam and most of Norastern states on Wednesday, causing extensive damage to buildings and forcing people to scamper out of ir homes.

re were no immediate reports of deaths directly due to tremors, but two persons - one each in Kamrup Metropolitan and Nagaon districts - died due to shock and heart attack around time of earthquake, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

According to initial reports, 10 people suffered injuries in four districts as first quake of 6.4 magnitude struck Tezpur, hequarters of Sonitpur district, at 7.51 am, ASDMA said in a statement.

impact was felt in several Norastern states, parts of West Bengal, Bhutan and Banglesh.

first quake was followed in quick succession by lesser intensity tremors of 4.7, 4, and two 3.6 magnitudes at 8.03 am, 8.13 am, 8.25 am and 8.44 am, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Deputy Director Sanjay O'neil Shaw said.

Anor earthquake of 3.2 magnitude hit Assam's Nagaon district at 10.05 am. A while later, anor jolt of 3.4 magnitude hit Tezpur at 10.39 am, he ded.

At 12.32 pm, eighth quake of 2.9 magnitude hit Morigaon. It was followed by three more earthquakes, hitting Sonitpur district again, Shaw said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal twice to inquire about destruction caused by earthquake and assured him all help from Centre.

Sonowal later visited Dhekiajuli near epicentre and its jacent areas in Sonitpur district.

re were reports of extensive damage to buildings and or structures from across Assam, mostly in central and western towns of Tezpur, Nagaon, Guwahati, Mangaldoi, Dhekiajuli and Morigaon.

"Cracks have been developed in many private and public buildings. However, reports of any severe damage like collapse of buildings or disruption of any major infrastructure have not been received so far," ASDMA said.

A detailed assessment of damage is going on in coordination with District Disaster management Authorities, Fire and Emergency Services, national and state disaster response forces and experts from Assam Engineering College, statement said.

Several ros in region developed wide cracks, affecting traffic movement. Besides, in many areas, fissures were seen in fields with water oozing out, officials said.

Many religious structures, including Maha Mrityunjaya Temple in Nagaon and several mosques, developed cracks. An earth portion of a hillock in tourist spot Bhairabkunda in Udalguri district came down due to impact of tremors.

In Guwahati, chief minister's block at 'Janata Bhawan' complex, state secretariat, witnessed some damage, sources said.

luxury Taj Vivanta hotel in Guwahati also "sustained minimal and superficial damage", but re was no injury to any employee or guest, a hotel spokesperson said in a statement.

Healthcare facilities such as Dispur Hospital, Apollo Clinic, Down Town Hospital and Excelcare Hospital also saw damage, hampering services amid surge in COVID-19 cases.

A multi-storied building in Nagaon tilted on jacent structure, triggering panic.

Dozens of houses, apartment buildings and shopping malls across state also developed cracks. Many vehicles were damaged after concrete blocks fell on m.

state disaster management authority launched helplines -- 1070, 1077, 1079 -- to help people report incidents regarding quake, and seek relief.

prime minister called up Sonowal immediately after several tremors jolted state in morning and again in afternoon and discussed situation in state post in detail, an official release said.

"Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal Ji regarding earthquake in parts of state. Assured all possible help from Centre. I pray for well-being of people of Assam," Modi tweeted.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Minister Jitendra Singh were among a host of Central leers who spoke to Sonowal on situation.

Congress leer Rahul Gandhi said that he stood in solidarity with people of Assam, and asked party workers to be at forefront of rescue and relief efforts.

Sonowal visited Dhekiajuli and its jacent areas in Sonitpur. He also went to Sirajuli Model Hospital and Tarajan Bengali village and took stock of damage caused by quake.

chief minister urged everyone to stay alert and said that he is taking updates from all districts.

" district ministrations were directed to carry out a field survey of damages and submit a report for a detailed review and to extend help and support to affected people," a release from Chief Minister's Office said.

National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said that damage to buildings and structures was reported from areas within 100 km rius of epicentre.

area is seismically very active and falls in highest Seismic Hazard Zone V, associated with collisional tectonics where Indian plate subducts beneath Eurasian Plate, it said.

historical and instrumentally recorded earthquake data reveals that region is affected by moderate to large earthquakes, with most prominent event among those being recorded is on July 29, 1960 when a magnitude 6 quake was reported, it ded.

" timing of earthquake saved a lot of lives.

People were alrey awake when earthquake hit, so y could run out in time. re would have been several casualties if this quake struck two-three hours early," a disaster management official in Guwahati said.

"However, re are concerns as a number of COVID-19 patients also ran out of some safe homes because of quake.

Also, people forgot to wear masks while coming out of homes and re were small garings on ros," he said.

In Meghalaya capital Shillong, quake woke up people and many ran outside ir homes in panic. However, re was no immediate report of any damage from state, an official said.

Strong tremors were also felt across Arunachal Presh. A few buildings developed cracks in state capital Itanagar and East Kameng district, officials said.

In West Bengal, tremors were felt in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Coochbehar and parts of Darjeeling district in norrn part of state but no major damage was reported.

Tremors were also felt in Manipur, including state capital Imphal.

tremors were also felt in neighbouring Banglesh and Bhutan, according to local media reports. PTI TR DG PR JOP KR ACB UPL CORR SOM SK SOM NN NN