An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 struck north-eastern India near the Myanmar border early today, but the extent of any damage or casualties was not yet known, officials said.

The temblor hit at 4.35am today, about 29km west of Imphal, the capital of Manipur state, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremors were felt in the entire region, including cities as far as the neighbouring country of Bangladesh.

People in Imphal, with a population of 270,000, were jolted from their sleep and ran out of their homes in panic.

"Our building started to shake and we just ran for safety. It was the strongest earthquake we have felt in our lives. People here are all jittery," a witness told the Times Now channel.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or major damage, Manipur principal secretary J Suresh Babu said over the phone.

"Reports from commercial areas and markets in Imphal indicate that cracks have developed in multi-storeyed buildings but no structures have collapsed," Suresh Babu said.

"We expect slight damages and hopefully no large casualties, but since it was a strong quake, we are concerned. We have asked officials to assess the situation and report to us," he said.

In April a massive earthquake hit Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh killing about 9,000 people.

- dpa