Earthquake disrupts train service in N-E division

According to reports, all Assam and other North-East states bound trains, including Kamakhya Express, Kamrup Express and Avadh Assam Express, from New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station in West Bengal are running late since Monday early morning.

Meanwhile, North Bengal bound superfast trains from Kolkata, including Darjeeling Mail and Padatik Express, arrived late at NJP station.

One passenger of NJP bound Darjeeling Express, Prasenjit Sarkar, told IBNS, "I was in Darjeeling Mail. The whole compartment jolted badly. It was like being derailed. The train was halted at Old Malda station for nearly one and half hours. All passengers were very scared. We heared later about the earthquake."

One senior official of North Easter Railway told IBNS: "We are checking up the railway tracks if it is affected by the earthquake. All trains are being run slow for passengers' safety. Hope service will become normal very soon."

However, metro rail service in Kolkata was not effected on Monday.

"We run two empty trains in both lines to detect any defect in the track. Nothing was reported and our service is normal," one official of Kolkata Metro Rail told IBNS.

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale hit Manipur in the Northeast on Monday early morning which killed at least nine people so far and left nearly 200 others injured.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the epicentre of the quake, Manipur's Tamenglong district, measuring 6.7, which was felt at 4:35 hrs and at a depth of 17 kms, was located  at latitude 24.8 degrees north and  longitude 93.5 degrees east.

Tremors were felt in Assam, Manipur, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Till the latest update came in, an after-shock measuring 3.4 on the Richter Scale was recorded around 2:30 pm., IMD's website said.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)