Biggest earthquake in 20 years in Northeast

Shillong, Sept 19: The northeastern region on Sunday experienced the biggest earthquake in 20 years. The earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale which hit the east and Northeast region, was the biggest in 20 years, officials said.

Records of Central Seismological Observatory showed increasing seismic activity in the region.
A total of 34 quakes of light and moderate intensity were felt in the region in 2009. The area witnessed 26 earthquakes each in 2008 and 2007, while it was 23 in 2006, the data showed.

On February 4 this year, a quake of 6.4 magnitude with its epicentre in the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur shook the region. An earthquake of similar intensity (6.8) had rocked the northeast on August 6, 1988.

On October 11, 2000 a quake of 6.0 intensity was felt in the region, while on September 21, 2009, another measuring 6.2 had claimed six lives in neighbouring Bhutan, where it was epicentred.

The north eastern region had experienced some of the world's worst quakes like the Shillong quake and the Assam quake of 1950 both measuring around 8.5.

An earthquake in 1897 in Shillong plateau had left 1,542 people dead.

PTI