On Monday, 21 September 2009, an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit at 02:53:05 pm local time in Mongar in Bhutan. The US Geological Survey initially reported the earthquake as 6.3 mw which was later revised to 6.1 mw.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 177 km from Thimpu , the Bhutanese capital . As of 09:30 pm local time in Bhutan, 12 people had been killed – 5 in Mongar, 4 in Samdrup Jongkhar and 3 in Trashigang. Seven more tremors were felt in Transhigang after the earthquake hit, with the first few tremors occurring every half an hour. In Mongar, three more tremors were felt. Media reports stated that among the 12 dead in Bhutan, 3 were Indians. The earthquake was felt in the north-east states of India, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal. It was also felt in Bangladesh.
An aftershock of 4.8 mw was reported in the Uttaranchal region of India at 03:13:50 pm IST. Another earthquake struck in the South Asia region on Tuesday, 22 September measuring 5.6 mw at 02:08:42 am local time in Myanmar. The earthquake was felt in north-east India. No casualties as a result of the earthquakes and aftershocks were reported in India.
The earthquake in Bhutan caused damage to buildings and infrastructure in Bhut an and parts of north -east India. North-east India has experienced tremors for the fifth time in one month.
