Earthquake of magnitude 5.8 jolts Assam, tremors rock Guwahati
AN earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck Assam on Sunday evening, according to the National Center for Seismology.
The earthquake took place at 4.41 pm and the epicentre was in Udalguri district. The depth of the earthquake was 5km, the officials said. Tremors were also felt in other northeastern states and neighbouring Bhutan.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa said there has been no report of any major damage or loss of life. “We are actively monitoring the situation,” he wrote on X.
Tremors were felt in Guwahati, where many residents rushed out of their homes in panic.
“It felt like it would never stop,” a Guwahati resident told HT.
“For a minute, I thought I was dead. I genuinely believed the roof would cave in,” another resident said.
Former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal also took to X: “Major earthquake in Assam. My prayers for everyone's safety and well-being.”
Earthquakes are frequent in Assam, which lies in one of India’s most seismically active regions.
The NCS categorises the area as seismically 'very active', associated with Hazard zone V with collisional tectonics where the Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.
The region has witnessed some of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, including the 1950 Assam–Tibet quake (magnitude 8.6) and the 1897 Shillong quake (magnitude 8.1).
After the earthquake, the National Centre for Seismology, residents in Guwahati rushed out of their homes in panic.
In the aftermath of the quake, the residents of Assam's Capital described the moments when they felt the strong tremors.
Taking to the social media platform X, one user shared, “The earthquake was so terrifying that my legs are still shaking.” Another said that they thought “the roof would cave in” even as the tremors continued.
“It felt like it would never stop. For a minute, I thought I was dead. I genuinely believed the roof would cave in,” a Guwahati resident, Anita Goswami, told HT.
No immediate loss to lives or damage to any property has been reported, according to PTI news agency.
Another resident recounted that the tremors were slow initially, adding that they thought the quake would pass soon. “But it didn’t, and that’s when I started to panic. My brother was upstairs, and I kept thinking, what if the roof caves in?” they said.
“I felt the tremor. It was dangerous!!!” a user posted on X.
