Earthquake In North East Indian Kills Eight

At least eight people were killed after a 6.7 earthquake struck Indian state of Manipal during early hours of Monday.

According to The Washington Post, the earthquake was felt 18 miles west of the state's capital Imphal at around 4.35 a.m. The quake damaged several buildings and some were levelled to the ground resulting in injuries to scores of people. Three people reportedly lost lives in Bangladesh. The quake was also felt in Tibet, Bhutan and Burma.

USA Today reported that people rushed out of their homes in Manipuar while shouting to alert others. Many residents who lost their homes had to the brave the winter chill of early hours. According to USA Today, the quake struck at a depth of 17 km in the Tamenglong region. Other Indian states including neighboring Assam and West Bengal felt the tremors. Aftershocks measuring about 3.6 on Richter scale were felt several hours later.

Indian army and air force were pressed into relief even as the federal and state governments took stock of the situation. Those affected by the quake took to social media to reveal the damage caused. Scroll reported that Facebook activated its safety alert feature to help the affected to inform their friends and family of their safety.

Monday's quake was the second strongest to hit the state in the last six decades.