Earthquake in Northeast India, Bangladesh

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale rocked the entire northeast India and adjoining Bangladesh Saturday morning. No casualties were reported, officials said.

According to a seismologist here, the quake was felt around 7.01 a.m. in most parts of the northeast region and neighbouring Bangladesh, and its epicentre lay along the India-Bangladesh border.

"The exact epicentre of the quake was on the India-Bangladesh border with western Tripura. The tremor lasted for about four to five seconds," an official at the Regional Seismological Centre told IANS.

The seven 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.

The region experienced an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale in 1897. Over 1,600 people died in that quake.