This Wednesday an earthquake of up to 7.2 magnitude hit the Myanmar-India border area. The strength of the tremor was estimated at 7.2 by the GEOFON Global Seismic Network. Observers as far away as the Indian city of Kolkata reported feeling tremors.
According to USGS the earthquake measured 7.0. A witness told Reuters that strong tremors were also felt in the city of Guwahati in eastern India. Tremors were also felt in the city of Patna, while weaker tremors were reported in Chennai and Delhi.
Eyewitnesses claim strong tremors felt in multiple cities
The earthquake reportedly hit at around 7:25 pm local time. Fortunately there has been no damage reported in Guwahati. In the city of Kolkata many residents blew conch shells to sound the alarm and implore residents of high-rise buildings to evacuate their homes.
The land-based earthquake may have shocked local residents, but there is no danger of a tsunami. USGS reports that the epicenter of the quake was around 62 miles from the city of Monywa in Myanmar.
Twitter user Derek O’Brien (@quizderek) wrote: “Tremors felt… Just evacuated building in #Kolkata”
Panic on the streets
According to NDTV people in multiple cities in India have remained on the streets for fear of an aftershock.
Panic was reported in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, but authorities maintain that no injuries or damage were sustained.
Experts at GDACS (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System) predicted that the humanitarian impact of the quake would be high given the living conditions in both affected countries. However so far there have not been any tales of widespread damage or death.
