The death toll in the powerful earthquake rose to 40 with 23 people being killed in Sikkim, five in West Bengal, seven each in Nepal and Tibet even as rescue and relief operations were today hit by bad weather in the affected areas, reports the Indian Express.
The full extent of damage was not immediately known because the region is sparsely populated with many people living in remote areas now cut off by mudslides triggered by the quake, Sikkim police chief Jasbir Singh said.
The powerful earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude hit Sikkim and several areas in the eastern part of the country and neighbouring Nepal on Sunday, leaving several dead and injuring more than 100 while causing extensive damage to buildings and roads.
The epicentre of the quake — the biggest in two decades — was located at Mangan and Sakyong areas, over 50 km from Gangtok on the Sikkim-Nepal border.
At least 23 people died and over hundred were injured in Sikkim after the powerful earthquake left a trail of devastation in the Himalayan state, making relief work difficult due to landslides and road blockages, officials said.
Another eight people, who were travelling in a bus of Teesta Urja Limited Company in north district, are presumed to be dead after their vehicle got stuck under the debris, Major General S L Narasimhan of GOC 17 Mountain Division, told reporters here.
Deploying 2500 troops and 84 columns, the Army has launched ‘Operation Madad’ in the state, he said.
“Around 44 columns are working in Sikkim, another 15 in the east district of state. We are also sending teams to Darjeeling and Kalimpong,” he said.