Assam earthquake alert: Magnitude 5.9 tremors rattle Guwahati; reach Bhutan

A massive 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Assam's Guwahati on Sunday evening, sending shockwaves as far as Bhutan and northern parts of West Bengal.

The earthquake took place at 4:41 PM, with the epicentre said to be in the Udalgiri district, at a depth of 5km, the United States Geological Survey said in an X post.This follows a 3.5-magnitude quake that struck Assam's Sonitpur on September 2.

The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) later claimed it was a 5.8-magnitude quake.  

Many residents reportedly rushed out of their homes in panic, but no loss of life or property has been reported yet.

“It felt like it would never stop,” a Guwahati resident told Hindustan Times. “For a minute, I thought I was dead. I genuinely believed the roof would cave in,” said another.

"We are actively monitoring the situation," Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X.

"My prayers for everyone's safety and well-being," wrote former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal in an X post.

Assam—associated with the NCS' 'Hazard Zone V', corresponding to a 'very active' seismic status—is very sensitive to earthquakes as it is at the convergence of the Eurasian and Sunda plates in the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis.

#Assam, #Guwahati, and #earthquake quickly began trending on social media, with users commenting on how it affected them.

"That was a quake and a half," one user quipped.

"Just a few hours ago, Assam trembled under the force of a 5.9 magnitude earthquake. At my brother’s hospital—Aditya Hospital, Nagaon , Assam—amidst the shaking walls and fearful cries, two young nurses stood tall like true," another user wrote, attaching a CCTV video.