Sikkim quake kills 16; no power slows rescue

An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter Scale, according to the US Geological Survey, killed at least 16 people and injured hundreds on Sunday. According to reports, five were killed in Sikkim, two in Bihar, four in West Bengal, and five in Nepal. The death toll is likely to rise as rescue operations progress.

It occurred around 6.42pm with the epicentre in Mangan, the district headquarters of North Sikkim. The power supply to the whole region, including north Bengal, was immediately cut off after the NTPC power generating plant in Kahalgaon was shut.

The prime minister’s office called for a meeting of the National Disaster Management Authority; Manmohan Singh spoke to Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling to ascertain the damage.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has launched rescue operations in Pegong, north Sikkim, the worst affected, with two ITBP buildings also collapsing. Sources said rescue operations are getting hampered as there is no electricity in the area. Five IAF aircraft have also been pressed into service.

Tremors were felt in every district of West Bengal, and in Delhi with two aftershocks ranging from 5.3 to 5.8. Many buildings collapsed in Sikkim. Several buildings in Kolkata, Guwahati developed cracks; some in Guwahati tilted. Mobile phone services were down as many BTS towers were damaged.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked people not to panic, saying the state government has already begun taking stock of the situation.

Former director general, Geographical Survey of India (GSI), Subrata Sinha said: “It’s now all the more urgent for policymakers to reject fresh dam proposals on the rivers in north Bengal, which would invite bigger disasters.”

Former top GSI director Dakshina Nandy said the quake’s after-effects may cause small to major landslides in Darjeeling and areas around it.

(With inputs from Saikat Datta, Prasanta Mazumdar, Manan Kumar and Agencies)