Panic-stricken people spend night outdoors
Quake toll rises to 71; landslides, bad weather hit rescue work
Landslides and inclement weather on Monday hampered rescue operations in the quake-hit Sikkim, as the toll in the 6.8 magnitude temblor rose to 71, including 39 in the Himalayan state.
The high-intensity quake, which rocked large parts of northern and eastern India and the eastern region of Nepal on Sunday evening, left a trail of devastation damaging roads, buildings and other structures, uprooting mobile phone towers and snapping communication and power lines.
West and South districts in Sikkim remained inaccessible to the Army due to landslides and bad weather and rescuers were facing an uphill task to reach these areas, Maj Gen S L Narasimhan, GOC 17 Mountain Division, said.
At least 20 aftershocks throughout the night had created panic in Gangtok and forced the people to spend the night outdoors, braving cold and rain. People in the hill town of Darjeeling in West Bengal and several towns in Sikkim left the main doors of their homes open, fearing aftershocks.
Most areas in north Sikkim have been cut off from the rest of the country as roads were blocked and communication lines got snapped. All BSNL telephone landlines in Gangtok had gone dead since Sunday evening. Several tourists from West Bengal were stranded in Gangtok, Namchi and Kumgon in Sikkim with most of the connecting roads severely damaged, cracked open and blocked due to landslides.
Schools, colleges and government offices were closed in the affected areas and only a few shops remained open.
In many areas, power returned at 10:30 pm, but people preferred to brave the chilling weather instead of staying indoors.
Mild tremors in Gulbarga
Mild earthquake rocked Khajuri in the Aland taluk of Gulbarga on Monday, spreading panic among people, DHNS reports. The earthquake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale occurred at 6:22 am, but caused no loss of life or property.
Meanwhile, tremors measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale spread panic waves in the seismically sensitive Latur, Parbhani and other neighbouring regions in western Maharashtra on Monday.
