Sikkim Earthquake, 82 dead. Heavy damage in Manipal University

Sikkim Earthquake, 82 dead. Heavy damage in Manipal University

Mtoday news / NDTV

Gangtok, Sept 19:  At least 82 people have died in India, most of them in Sikkim, others in neighbouring Bihar and West Bengal. The earthquake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter Scale and was centred on the Sikkim-Nepal border 64 kilometres north-west of Gangtok, is the region’s worst in 60 years. Among the toughest parts of the recovery is the operation to re-open National Highway 31A which connects Sikkim to the rest of the country, and is needed to bring in food and other supplies.

 

 

 

 

Sikkim Manipal Universty buildings have heavy damages. The Old Hostel building hasa collapsed. Many other blocks have developed craks.

 

 

A cracked wall on display at Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology post the earthquake in Sikkim.

 

The rubbled remains of a wall in Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology’s old hostel building. The old hostel building sustained heavy damages.

 

A view of the collapsed wall of Old Boys Hostel of the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology post the earthquake.

 

 

Debris made up of collapsed pieces of wall at the Old Boys Hostel of the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology post the earthquake.

 

 

Both the surrounding walls and the roof gave way as the quake ravaged the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology’s old hostel building.

 

 

At a hospital in Siliguri, a man being moved on a stretcher says he wants to share his story. "I was driving in my car," he said, "and suddenly there was this jolt. The windshield shattered, pieces of glass were flung at us, and our car started swerving."

12 people have also died in Nepal and Tibet, pushing the death toll to 54. Indian Home Secretary RK Singh said that number may rise as rescue and relief operations progress.

Heavy rain in the area caused landslides through the night and much of today, making it tough for doctors and others to reach the Western and Southern districts in Sikkim.

Nine helicopters are being used to airdrop food and other supplies to areas like Siliguri.

A breakthrough came late this afternoon when the Army was able to clear a crucial road from Siliguri in West Bengal to Gangtok.

More than 5000 Army jawans are being used to provide assistance to those affected. 2000 people have taken shelter at Army camps.

In Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok, the devastation seems absolute. More than 100,000 buildings have been severely damaged. Government offices and hospitals have been left unusable. The Chief Minister cannot use his office. Water and power supply remain erratic; phone towers have been hit, making communication tough.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is headed to Darjeeling, said that her priority is to ensure that National Highways 31A and 55, damaged by landslides, are repaired urgently so that food and other supplies can be transported.

Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported that at least seven persons have been killed and 22 others injured in Tibet.

Meanwhile, a seismic observatory in Shillong said that an earthquake of 4.3 magnitude on the Richter scale shook parts of Meghalaya today.