18-Sep 20:27 PM
New Delhi: One child succumbed to injuries after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Sunday in Sikkim, Chief Secretary of Sikkim Karma Gyatso said. One person was reportedly dead in Bhagalpur district of Bihar in a stampede following the tremors. Five people were reported dead in Nepal.
An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the richter scale hit North India on Sunday at 6:10 pm and the epicentre was 64 km from Gangtok in Sikkim, causing major damages in the area. Mild tremors were felt in Delhi and other parts of North India. Tremors were felt in Patna, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal also.
Aftershocks measuring 6.1 and 5.3 on the richter scale were also felt around Sikkim 20 minutes after the earthquake.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, the DGP of Sikkim said that many buildings were damaged. He also said that roads were blocked and people were stranded on roads. He said that the Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has called for an emergency meeting.
Arvind Kumar, Principal Resident Commissioner of Sikkim said that there was excessive damage in the northern parts of Sikkim. He also said that the rescue operations had started in the area.
There were also reports of landslides following the earthquake in areas around Sikkim and also Darjeeling.
The Prime Minister also spoke to the Sikkim Chief Minister and offered all help. The Prime Minister also directed the Cabinet Secretary to call for an emergency meeting.
There were reports of damages from Bihar. Two buildings collapsed in Katihar in Bihar. The NTPC power plant in Kahalgaon in Bihar has also been shut down because of the earthquake following which North Bihar was under power crisis.
