Strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocks Arunachal Pradesh
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck Arunachal Pradesh early Wednesday at 01:45 am, said the US Geological Survey.
The India Meteorological Department said the magnitude of the earthquake in Arunachal Pradesh was 5.8. However, the US Geological Survey said its magnitude was 6.1 on the Richter Scale.
The epicenter of the shallow earthquake was about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Along, and 180 kilometres southwest of the state capital Itanagar. No damage has been reported so far. USGS estimated there was a “low likelihood” of casualties and damage from the quake.
Arunachal Pradesh is India’s least densely populated state, but is still home to more than 1.2 million people, according to the state government’s website.
Northeast India alongwith the rest of the Himalayan belt is an active zone prone to regular earthquakes of varying intensity.
China’s official state news agency Xinhua said the earthquake was felt in Tibet as well.
New Delhi and Beijing for decades have disputed control of Arunachal Pradesh — a dispute that remains unresolved. India considers Arunachal Pradesh one of its northeastern states, while China claims about 90,000 square kilometres (34,750 square miles) of the territory.
