Moderate quake jolts Northeast India

IANS SHILLONG, MARCH 13 A moderate earthquake, measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale, rocked the country’s northeastern states on Sunday, an official said. There were no immediate reports of any casualty or damage. The tremor was felt at 4 p.m. with its epicentre located in Assam’s Darrang district, said an official of the Regional Seismological Centre here. Seven of the northeastern states -- Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur -- are considered by seismologists as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world. In 1897, the region experienced an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale that left over 1,600 people dead and wreaked heavy property damage.