At least seven people were killed and over 100 injured as a strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake epicentred in Manipur on Monday hit the northeastern region, damaging buildings and triggering panic as one person died of cardiac arrest in Bihar which also felt the ripples.
A team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has reached here with relief materials this morning and another team is also expected soon, official sources said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said strongly felt the tremor that shook the entire northeast and its adjoining areas on Monday morning .Although the tremor measuring 6.7 on the richter scale was felt in most of the northeastern states and its neighbouring countries, Manipur remained the worst affected with six people killed and close to 40 injured. In Assam, one person died in panic after the quake and over 20 people were injured during the tremor.
Manipur Government has declared a two day holiday of all the Government offices and seven days holiday for the schools and colleges to enable the people of the State to face the disaster and come out of the crisis.
Singh, who was in Assam since Sunday, felt the tremor in the Brahmaputra State Guest House in Guwahati. “I felt it very strongly. I have got a call in the morning from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had asked me to coordinate with all the affected northeastern States and I have been in touch with most of the Chief Ministers taking stock of the situation,” said Singh while addressing a Press conference in Guwahati on Monday evening.
He said that the Central Government stands by the State government in times of such disaster and all required helps will be made available to Manipur and other affected States. “We have already sent two battalions of National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) to Manipur to assist the rescue and relief operations,” he said adding more forces would be sent if needed.
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh while addressing the newsmen today evening at Imphal said that a total of six people have been killed in different areas of the State due to the quake.
Ibobi said that while 200 houses have been damaged completely in the State, over 600 houses were reported to be partially damaged. The Manipur Government has asked the people of the State to help each other in the time of crisis and said that all possible help will be made available to the affected people.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also reviewed the situation in the aftermath of the earthquake that shook Assam and directed the officials to take all possible measures to meet any exigency. Gogoi underscored the need to create mass awareness among the people so that they could respond properly in case of any major tremor.
Over 20 persons were admitted in the Guwahati medical college and hospital, mostly from Guwahati, in the morning hours, of which 11 were discharged after treatment.