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Earthquake kills 10 in Bihar, one in Uttar Pradesh

A 10-year-old boy was killed and a seven-year old girl were injured after a powerful earthquake struck Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The powerful earthquake on Monday morning in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains was felt across the country.

A local official said the quake hit at 5:30 a.m. local time (0730 GMT), triggering tremors that shook houses and buildings in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The epicentre was located in the state of Uttarakas near the Indian border, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was centered about 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Burdwan in Bihar’s Dantewada district.

The state is home to around 40 million people, including some 10 million Hindus, according the Hindu.

The quake hit close to the border between Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which is home the state’s largest Hindu community.

“There was a huge tremble and it was felt all over the country,” said Lalish, who has been living in Uttarayas house for the last eight years.

“The house was shaking, but we could not see any damage,” he told AFP.

“There was no damage to the walls, but the floor was covered in dust and water, and the windows were broken.”

Lalish said the earthquake was felt in a region known for its rock quarries.

“The quake shook houses, roads and railways.

Roads were completely blocked,” he said.

Tremors hit parts of the north of Bihar, including the state capital of Patna, where a bus carrying members of the Hindu minority had been stopped for three hours by a man who appeared to be angry at them for wearing the Hindu skullcap.

The bus driver was later arrested by the police, police said.

The injured are being treated at the hospital in Bihar.

Police said the district administration had to resort to emergency measures.

The state’s disaster management authority (DMCA) said the epicentres of the three tremors were in the eastern district of Purnima, in the Gwalior region, near the border with Maharashtra.

In Uttar Pradesh state, a man was killed when a tree fell on him during an earthquake near his home, the state government said in a statement.

“He succumbed to his injuries,” it said.

A woman was killed in Bihar when a landslide hit a road, state government spokesman Jitendra Singh said.

In Bihar, at least four people were killed and two were injured in a landslide that hit a house in the district of Rajaigarh, said the local administration.

A seven-month-old girl was injured when a falling tree knocked her into a wall.

Police in Uttarad, where Bihar is also located, were called to the scene, local administration spokesman Ashok Singh said in an email.

In Uttarakachh, Uttarakshapatnam, the epicenter was located about 50km (30 mi) from the state border with Gujarat.