(Image source from: thenewsminute.com)

A powerful earthquake of Richter scale 6.4 hit Assam and other parts of the North eastern India this morning. Six aftershocks are reported in the region. The earthquake started in Tezpur of Assam and the tremors were felt in the northern part of West Bengal and other states of the Northeast in India. The National Centre of Seismology said that the earthquake was measured as 6.4 in Sonitpur and Tezpur of Assam. The first earthquake took place at 7:51 AM which was centered at 43 km west of Tezpur in Assam. The second earthquake was felt at 8:01 AM. The aftershocks are ranged between 3.2 and 4.7 and are recorded in 2 and a half hours.

The people ran out with fear and there were no casualties reported due to the earthquake. Several houses, walls and roads suffered damages. There are lot of videos that are posted on the social media. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed the earthquake and tweeted about the incident. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sonowal about the earthquake. Narendra Modi posted "Spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal Ji regarding the earthquake in parts of the state. Assured all possible help from the Centre. I pray for the well-being of the people of Assam" on his twitter page. The US Geological Survey said that the earthquake hit at a relatively shallow depth of 29 kilometers.

By Siva Kumar