An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale hit the northeastern states in the early hours of Wednesday, an official said.

The earthquake occurred at 1.45 a.m. and had its epicentre in Arunachal Pradesh's West Siang district, Andrew Lyngdoh, a seismologist at the Central Seismological Observatory in Shillong, told IANS.

The tremors were felt in some parts of Assam, Nagaland and neighbouring countries China, Myanmar and Bhutan.

India's northeastern states -- Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur -- are considered by seismologists as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world.

--IANS

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