Monday, September 19, 2011

India quake: Sikkim rescuers struggle to reach victims

Indian men clear out the ruins of a building damaged by Sunday’s earthquake in Siliguri, India, Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 The earthquake caused damage across a number of northern Indian states
Rescue workers in the Indian state of Sikkim are struggling to reach victims of Sunday's powerful earthquake.
More than 50 people were killed, at least 35 of them in Sikkim. The quake was felt elsewhere in India, as well as in Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.
Some 6,000 troops have been deployed in the north-eastern state to dig through mudslides and clear away rubble in an effort to reach cut off villages.
Several earthquakes hit the region this year, but none caused major damage.
The magnitude 6.9 quake struck the mountainous state of Sikkim at 18:10 (12:40 GMT) on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey, and was followed by two strong aftershocks.
Troops and road workers have restored the main highway linking Sikkim with the rest of India, which had been blocked by a landslide during the quake.
Army helicopters have dropped food supplies and ferried medical teams to affected areas.
Many people slept in the open for the second consecutive night as aftershocks continue to hit the area.
"People are still panicky," Pawan Thapa, a resident of the capital Gangtok, told the Reuters news agency.
"We spent the whole night outside our homes."
Rain and landslides are hindering search and rescue operations and officials fear that the toll could rise further.
"The biggest challenge now is to get the rescue teams to the affected areas," Sikkim Information Minister CB Karki told the AFP news agency.
Just over the border in Tibet's Yadong County, just 40km (25 miles) from Sikkim, the earthquake caused hundreds of landslides, disrupting traffic, telecommunications, power and water supplies.
China's official Xinhua news agency said that seven people had died and 24 others had been injured in Tibet. Landslides have also disrupted power and water supplies.
Nepal's government said seven people had died, including two men and a child who were killed when a wall of the British Embassy collapsed in the capital, Kathmandu.

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