Gangtok: Sikkim and several areas in North Bengal woke up to an earthquake of moderate intensity early Tuesday. The quake, which measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, occurred at 0625 hrs (IST).
AC Lyngdoh, an official with the local seismological centre in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, said the tremor measured 5.7 on the Richter scale, confirming an US Geological Survey estimate.
People ran out of their houses in panic as tremors were felt across Sikkim and the adjoining states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.
Police said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The northeastern region is considered by seismologists to be the sixth worst quake prone belt in the world.
Assam experienced a massive tremor measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale on August 15, 1950 that claimed some 1,500 lives.
The worst quake felt in the region was in 1897 that measured 8.7 on the Richter and killed 1,600 people.
(With AFP inputs)
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