Guwahati, Oct 29 (IANS) A 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocked India’s northeast and Bhutan Thursday, triggering panic among sleeping residents, officials said.
According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was 161 km east of Bhutan’s capital Thimphu and 129 km northwest of Assam’s main city of Guwahati.

The earthquake occurred at 10.45 p.m. and lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds, swaying apartments and other high rise buildings.

There was no immediate reports of any casualties or damage caused in the northeast and also from Bhutan.

A tremor measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked Bhutan and India’s northeast Sept 21 killing at least 10 people in the Himalayan kingdom, besides leading to cracks in several multistoreyed apartment blocks in Guwahati.

India’s northeastern region is considered by seismologists to be the sixth worst quake prone belt in the world.

Assam experienced a massive tremor measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale on Aug 15, 1950 that claimed some 1,500 lives.

The worst quake felt in the region was in 1897, measuring 8.7 and killing 1,600 people.