Tremors felt in Assam, Manipur, Nagaland after 4.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Myanmar

Tremors were felt across parts of Northeast India on Tuesday after a magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Myanmar. Aftershocks were felt in parts of Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland.

According to the National Center for Seismology (NCS), the earthquake struck close to the India-Myanmar border, around 27 km from Manipur's Ukhrul.

It struck at a depth of 15 km from the surface. The exact coordinates were latitude 24.73 N, longitude 94.63 E.

Tuesday's quake follows two back-to-back earthquakes that jolted Myanmar on Sunday, September 28. The first, a magnitude 4.0 quake, struck Myanmar at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS had said, "EQ of M: 4.0, On: 28/09/2025 06:25:33 IST, Lat: 18.84 N, Long: 96.40 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar."

The second earthquake, measuring 3.2 on the Richter Scale, struck later in the day.

Why shallow earthquakes are more dangerous

Shallow earthquakes are generally more dangerous than deep earthquakes. Because seismic waves from shallow earthquakes have less distance to travel to the surface, they result in stronger ground shaking and potentially cause more damage to structures and greater casualties.

Following the magnitude 7.7 and 6.4 earthquakes that struck central Myanmar on March 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a series of rapidly rising health threats for tens of thousands of displaced people in earthquake-affected areas: tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and vector- and water-borne diseases.

Myanmar remains vulnerable to moderate and high-magnitude earthquakes, as well as tsunami risks along its extensive coastline. Myanmar is wedged between four tectonic plates (the Indian, Eurasian, Sunda, and Burma plates) that interact in active geological processes.

A 1,400-kilometre transform fault runs through Myanmar and connects the Andaman spreading centre to a collision zone in the north called the Sagaing Fault.

The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population. For instance, in 1903, an intense earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 that occurred in Bago also struck Yangon.

(With ANI inputs)