UPDATE 1-Magnitude 6.1 quake hits India's Assam region -USGS

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck northeast India's Assam region on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake's epicenter was located 71 miles (114 km) northwest of the town of Dibrugarh, at a very shallow depth of 5.8 miles (9 km), the USGS said. The quake struck at 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday (2015 GMT on Tuesday) and could also be felt across the border in Tibet, the USGS said.

The Assam tea-growing area near the Brahmaputra River is close to the border with China and is sparsely populated. (Reporting by Sandra Maler in Washington; Editing by G Crosse and Peter Cooney)