Guwahati/ Morigaon, 5 Jan

Three persons were injured in an earthquake of 5.1 magnitude, which jolted central Assam in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

Minor damage was also caused to some houses in Morigaon district, where the earthquake struck at 4.17 am at a depth of 50 km, they said.

People across the Northeast felt the tremors, they added.

The earthquake could be felt in central-western Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and northern West Bengal, officials said.

Central-eastern Bhutan, parts of China and Bangladesh were also shaken, according to reports.

The tremor forced people to scamper out of their homes to open areas.

While running out, a few people suffered injuries in Morigaon and are being treated at different health centres, a senior official said.

Joymoti Dewri (80), a resident of Na Dalbori village in Mikirbheta circle, sustained a head injury while rushing out of her home, a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said.

Her family members immediately took her to Morigaon Civil Hospital for treatment, it added.

Manoj Kumar of the same village also sustained injuries. He has been admitted to the hospital and is stated to be out of danger, district PRO S Buragohain said.

He said that some cracks were visible in a few dwelling units in the bordering areas of Nagaon and Morigaon districts after the quake.

However, no major damage was reported by the District Disaster Management Authority, Buragohain said.

The Northeast is in a high seismic zone, because of which earthquakes are frequent here.