6.1-magnitude earthquake hits eastern India
Shallow tremor strikes near Along in Arunachal Pradesh at 1.45am local time
New Delhi: A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh early Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.
The epicentre of the shallow quake was about 40 kilometres southeast of Along, and 180 kilometres southwest of the state capital Itanagar.
It struck at 1.45am (12.15am UAE).
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.
China’s official state news agency Xinhua said the quake was felt in Tibet, which neighbors the Indian state.
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 of the territory.
Arunachal Pradesh also borders Myanmar and Bhutan.
USGS estimated there was a “low likelihood” of casualties and damage from the quake.