A severe earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck northeast India on Wednesday morning. While the earthquake originated in Assam’s Tezpur, according to the National Center for Seismology in Sonitpur, severe tremors were felt in parts of the state, northern Bengal and other parts of the northeast.
Everything you need to know about the earthquake in 10 points:
1. Ten people were injured in four counties The first quake with a magnitude of 6.4 struck Tezpur, the headquarters of Sonitpur District, at 7:51 a.m., the Assam Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.
2. The first earthquake was followed by tremors of 4.7, 4 and two 3.6 magnitudes at 8.03 am, 8.13 am, 8.25 am and 8.44 am, said Sanjay O’neil Shaw, assistant director of the Regional Meteorological Center (RMC).
READ: Broken streets, sloping buildings: earthquake in Assam in creepy photos, videos
3. Another 3.2 magnitude earthquake struck Assam’s Nagaon district at 10:05 am, followed by another 3.4 magnitude strike that struck Tezpur at 10:39 am.
4. The eighth magnitude 2.9 after-tremor struck Morigaon at 12:32 pm, followed by three more tremors that shook the Sonitpur district again.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to inquire about the devastation caused by the earthquake and assured him of any assistance from the center. “I pray for the well-being of the people of Assam,” tweeted PM Modi.
6. CM Sonowal later visited Dhekiajuli near the epicenter and its adjoining areas in Sonitpur District, following reports of extensive damage to buildings and other structures from all over Assam, particularly in the central and western cities of Tezpur, Nagaon, Guwahati, Mangaldoi and Dhekiajuli templates and morigaon.
7. Several roads in the area had wide cracks affecting traffic movement and cracks were found in fields with leaking water in many areas. Many religious structures, including the Maha Mrityunjaya Temple in Nagaon and several mosques, developed cracks. Part of the bottom of a hill in the tourist town of Bhairabkunda in Udalguri district fell off due to the effects of the tremors.
8. According to sources, some damage was found in Guwahati, the Prime Minister’s block in the Janata Bhawan complex, the State Secretariat. Health facilities such as Dispur Hospital, Apollo Clinic, Down Town Hospital and Excelcare Hospital have also been damaged and hampered services amid the rise in Covid-19 cases.
9. A multi-story building in Nagaon that was tipped onto an adjacent building causing panic. Dozens of homes, apartment blocks, and shopping malls across the state also developed cracks. Many vehicles were damaged after concrete blocks fell on them.
10. The State Emergency Management Agency has set up helplines (1070, 1077, 1079) to assist and seek help from people who report incidents after the tremor. A detailed assessment of the damage is carried out in coordination with the district’s civil protection authorities, fire and rescue services, national and state civil protection forces, and experts from the Assam Engineering College.
(With entries from PTI)
ALSO READ: 2.7 magnitude earthquake hits Assam’s Tinsukia
CLOCK: Massive earthquake, two aftershocks shake Assam | Visuals
एक टिप्पणी भेजें