More quakes spark fear in India as deaths rise to 89

Fresh tremors were felt on Sunday in the northern and eastern parts of India, including Delhi, sparking panic, even as the toll in the country after a powerful quake struck Nepal on Saturday rose to 89.

The tremors, triggered by a strong 6.7-magnitude aftershock epicentred in Nepal on Sunday, were experienced in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi for over 30 seconds at 12:42 pm. There were reports of people scurrying for safety in several cities and towns.

The toll in India from Saturday's quake on Sunday stood at 89, up from 51 on Saturday, and the number of injured was 259. Of these, 56 of the deaths have occurred in Bihar, 30 in Uttar Pradesh, two in West Bengal and one in Rajasthan. 

Five fresh tremors on Sunday afternoon created more panic in Bihar. The first quake, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale, occurred at 12:39 pm. People rushed out of their houses in droves, their kids and pets in tow. 

No casualty or major damage were reported in Sunday's earthquake, although cracks were witnessed in more old buildings.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked residents to stay calm and not pay heed to rumours (being spread through SMS and WhatsApp).

He has asked the Disaster Management Department to keep the police, administration and doctors ready to handle any situation.
He has also told the Centre that Bihar was ready to offer free bus services to bring back Indians stranded in Nepal. He also spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday, offering his engineers’ help in restoring power in the Himalayan nation.  

In Uttar Pradesh the toll in Saturday's quake mounted to 30, with reports of more deaths coming in from various parts of the state. 

UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav ordered the closure of the schools on Monday and Tuesday and announced a compensation of Rs 7 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. 

The aftershocks that struck various districts in UP around 12:48 pm lasted for a few seconds only but damaged the historical Vidhan Sabha building.

Over a dozen people were reportedly injured in incidents of house collapse in some parts of the state. 

UP Governor Ram Naik was speaking at a function in the Kushinagar district when the tremors jolted the state. He left the speech midway. 

In Rajasthan, an eight-year-old girl was killed and 13 others severely injured when a temporary iron shelter collapsed in the Bharatpur district following a mild earthquake on Sunday. The victim was one of the 14 injured who were rushed to hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival.  

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje called a high-level meeting and decided to send 10,000 relief kits to Nepal, which included consignment of medicine, blanket, food, torch and clothes. 

The government announced Rs 6 lakh compensation to the kin of those killed in the country due to the quake, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of rescue and relief operations both at home and in Nepal at a review meeting.

In the meeting, attended by Union ministers, Cabinet Secretary, Additional Principal Secretary and other senior officials from various ministries, Modi was briefed on the work being done by various agencies involved in rescue and relief work, both in India and Nepal, said the PMO.