Strong earthquake hits remote mountain region in India

American seismologists say a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook a remote part of India near the border with China early Wednesday, in a mountainous region that has experienced huge quakes in the past.

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Gavin Hayes said the area in India's northeastern-most state, Arunachal Pradesh, is sparsely populated so not many casualties or much damage was expected. There were no immediate reports of either. The USGS said there's a 56% chance that damage will be between 1 and $100 million dollars.

The shallow earthquake was 33 kilometers (20 miles) north of Along, India.

Hayes says this area of the Himalayan frontal thrust has had some large quakes in the distant past, making experts more alert to the possibility that a bigger one might be next. However, he says most earthquakes are not followed by larger ones.

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