A massive earthquake rattled Myanmar today evening sending tremors across east and north India. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said the 6.8 magnitude tremblor struck northwest Myanmar near the Indian border.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS) the earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck in northwest Myanmar, 100 km north-northwest of the city of Monywa. The National Centre of Seismology said that the earthquake occurred at 7:25 pm at a depth of 134 km.
Earthquake tremors were felt across north and eastern India. Tremors were felt in Guwahati, Kolkata, Patna, Dehradun, Delhi and its adjoining areas like Noida and Ghaziabad.
There were no immediate reports of damage to property or life. In Kolkata, metro services were briefly suspended following the tremor. Electricity was cut off in parts of northeast India as thermal power stations were shut down as a precautionary measure, reports said.
Witnesses in Bagan, central Myanmar, said some tourists left their hotel rooms and stood outside when they felt the tremor. They saw no sign of damage to buildings.
The earthquake occurred in a geologically sensitive zone called the Sunda Trench, where the Indian plate meets the minor Burma plate.
On December 26, 2004, a large portion of the boundary between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate slipped, causing the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. This 9.1 magnitude happened when more than 1600 km of the boundary between the two plates underwent a thrust and shifted up to 5 meters vertically and 11 meters horizontally.
This resulting tsunami killed approximately 230,000 people along the coast of the Indian Ocean.