Guwahati, Jan 5: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck central Assam early Monday morning, triggering brief panic among residents, but no casualties or damage to property were reported, officials said.

According to the National Centre for Seismology, the tremor occurred at 4:17 am with its epicentre located in Morigaon district on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River. The earthquake struck at a depth of 50 km, with coordinates at latitude 26.37°N and longitude 92.29°E.

The quake was felt across several districts of Assam, including Morigaon, Kamrup Metropolitan, Nagaon, Hojai, East Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, and Goalpara on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra.

Districts on the northern bank, such as Darrang, Tamulpur, Sonitpur, Kamrup, Biswanath, Udalguri, Nalbari, Bajali, Barpeta, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, and Lakhimpur, also reported tremors.

Shaking was felt beyond Assam in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and West Bengal. Tremors were also reported from central-eastern Bhutan, parts of China, and Bangladesh.

Residents in several areas reported rushing outdoors as a precaution. Authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The Northeast falls under a high seismic zone and frequently experiences earthquakes of varying intensity.