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Quake panic, no damage reported

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 3 - A 5.7 magnitude earthquake that shook the region this afternoon created panic among the residents of the city. However, there have been no reports of any casualties or damage to property on account of the quake.

The earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.7 in the Richter scale, occurred at 2.39 pm. It had its epicentre at 24.1 degree North latitude and 91.9 degree East longitude in Dhalai district of Tripura at a depth of 28 km from the surface.

�We are assessing the situation. However, so far there have been no reports of any casualties or damage to property in Guwahati,� Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner Dr M Angamuthu told The Assam Tribune.

Officials at the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) also said there were no reports of any damaging incidents in the city.

People in high-rise buildings, both residential as well as official, were seen scurrying to head to the ground level. At many places, people driving on the roads stopped their vehicles.

�Our office is located on the sixth floor of a high-rise. So, obviously there was panic when the quake came. However, like all ISO certified firms, we have a policy of making our employees undergo a mock drill every six months or so to deal with emergencies like earthquake or fire and so everything went smoothly,� said Abhijit Bhattacharjee, a resident of Geetanagar, who works with a private telecom major whose office is located on GS Road.

Sagarika Bezbaruah, a homemaker who stays at New Guwahati, said that she was sitting in a chair when the quake came and initially felt that the chair had been rocked by her young daughter.

�However, within seconds I realised that the shaking was on account of an earthquake and we all went downstairs. Fortunately, it was not a big quake but for residents like us who live in apartments the threat is ever present,� she said.

Meanwhile, officials of the Kamrup Metro district administration said that civic bodies, including the GMC and the GMDA, are constantly engaged in monitoring the safety norms and adherence to building byelaws by contractors.

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