Imphal: Three successive earthquakes, the strongest one being 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale, struck Manipur’s two hilly districts – Churachandpur and Noney – in around nine hours on Wednesday, officials said.
Manipur state Disaster Management officials said that there has been no immediate report of loss of life or damage to property due to these tremors.
As per the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) data, the first tremor, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, struck in Churachandpur district and adjoining areas, and it hit at a depth of 40 km below the surface.
The second one of 2.5 magnitude hit Noney district and adjoining areas, while a third one of 3.9 magnitude struck Churachandpur and adjoining areas – these two quakes hit at a depth of 25 km and 36 km below the surface, respectively.
According to Disaster Management and district administration officials, no casualties or damage have been reported yet.
While the earthquakes’ magnitudes were mild to moderate, residents in several areas of the state experienced tremors and became panicky.
Manipur’s Churachandpur district shares a border with Mizoram and Myanmar, where tremors strike very often. The last earthquake, 3.1 on the Richter scale — was reported in the state’s Hilly Kakching district and adjoining areas two days back on May 26.
With Wednesday’s three successive quakes, Manipur witnessed five tremors this month. In the current month (May), as per the NCS data, four northeastern states – Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh – recorded 19 quakes, mostly mild.
So far this month, Arunachal Pradesh witnessed six quakes, followed by five in Manipur, four each in Assam and Meghalaya.
Analysis of the NCS data found that more than one quake every week hit a northeastern state, with most tremors measuring 3 to 4 on the Richter scale.
Earthquakes are reasonably common in the mountainous northeastern region, comprising eight states, since the region falls in the sixth most earthquake-prone region in the world.
Consecutive earthquakes, mostly mild to moderate, in the mountainous northeastern states, especially in Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, have kept the authorities worried and forced public and private builders to build quake-proof structures.
(IANS)
