Police officer L. Ragui said dozens of homes were slightly damaged in Tamenglong.
No deaths had been reported so far in the area, but four people were injured when a wall collapsed on them, Ragui said by the telephone.
Shangthon Kamei, a teacher in Tamenglong, said the earthquake rattled buildings.
“It lasted for around one minute. We were sleeping and were woken up by the earthquake,” he said.
Telephone and electricity connections were disrupted in some areas.
The epicenter was 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Imphal. The area is remote, with poor cellphone and Internet connections, and information about conditions outside of major cities may take time to emerge.
Nearly 90 members of the National Disaster Response Force, a specialized federal force for natural disasters, have left to check on remote areas, police said.
People panicked and rushed out of their homes in Gauhati, the capital of neighboring Assam state, as they felt massive shaking at least twice within 60 seconds.
In Imphal, residents said furniture was knocked over and books fell off shelves.
“The ground swayed for almost a minute, jolting people awake in their homes,” said one resident, Apem Arthur.
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