Tremors In Assam As 5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Tripura

New Delhi: Tremors were felt across Assam and Northeast India as an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted Tripura, near the India-Bangladesh border. The epicentre of the quake was near Ambassa, 59 km from state capital Agartala. The state government sources have confirmed that the epicenter in all likelihood is in Longtorai hill range between Ambassa and Kumarghat. There has been no report of damages and the state government is reviewing the situation since the area is remote.

The quake was also felt in neighbouring Bangladesh, Northern Myanmar and Bhutan.

This was the first time that Tripura was the epicentre of an earthquake measuring beyond 5 in the Moment Magnitude Scale, the sources said.

Last year, a study from the Columbia University of the US had warned of a huge earthquake building in the area in and around Bangladesh.Such quakes happen when a section of the earth's crust, called a tectonic plate, is slowly thrusting under another -- the affected area is called a subsonic zone.

Scientists had said they have new evidence of increasing strain between two tectonic plates under the world's largest river delta.A giant plate comprising India and much of the Indian Ocean has been thrusting into Asia for tens of millions of years, researchers said.

All of earth's biggest known earthquakes occur along subsonic zones. But till now, all such known zones were under the ocean. This one appears to be entirely under the land, which greatly multiplies the threat.

The Indian Ocean quake and the resulting tsunami that killed around 230,000 people in 2004 was an example of one such quake.