TNN Sep 19, 2011, 12.05am IST
KOLKATA: An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit the Sikkim-Nepal border at 6.10pm on Sunday, killing at least 18 people on both side of the border, according to preliminary reports which suggested the death toll was likely to rise. Over 100 were injured besides causing extensive damage to buildings and roads. The quake rattled the entire eastern region-Bengal, the North-eastern states, Jharkhand and Bihar-and was felt as far away as Delhi and Rajasthan.
Reports said at least seven people had died in Sikkim, three in and around Darjeeling, one near Siliguri, two in Bihar and five in Nepal, three of them in a wall collapse outside the British embassy in Kathmandu. Sixty people were reported injured in Sikkim.
With power and communication lines down in Sikkim and Gorkhaland areas, reports were still sketchy for hours after the quake. Scores are feared trapped under collapsed buildings in Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
"Landslides and house collapses have been reported from various parts of Sikkim. With power lines down, it is difficult to assess the damage at this moment, said AK Singh, district magistrate of South Sikkim.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, who reportedly described the damage as serious. "Tremors were felt between 30 seconds to one minute in some parts of Sikkim, including Gangtok," Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the earth sciences ministry, said in Delhi.
The temblor sparked panic in Kolkata, which has not felt a quake of such intensity in decades, and large parts of North Bengal. In Kolkata, people ran out of homes, shopping malls and multiplexes which shook violently for several seconds.
Many malls and highrises were evacuated. In Jalpaiguri, the administration made public announcements for people to stay in the open till midnight.
The epicentre of the quake was near Namche Bazar, some 68km northwest of Gangtok. Three aftershocks of 5.7, 5.3 and 4.6 magnitude were felt in the region within 30 minutes. Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri were also jolted in the aftershocks. Those who had just begun to get through to their friends and relatives in the affected areas heard screams of terror over the scratchy phone network.
The Army has been called out in Sikkim and the National Disaster Force kept ready for rescue work. Four IAF planes were dispatched with rescuers and relief equipment.
"Since the epicentre was near the Nepal-Sikkim border, Sikkim bore the brunt of the quake. We are just starting to get reports of the damage," said GN Raha, who is in charge of the Sikkim Meteorological office. Chamling has called a meeting of top officials at 9am on Monday.
At 6.10pm, the quake started as a mild shake for a few seconds. After a momentary lull, it hit with full intensity, reports said. Buildings started swaying violently and houses creaked. People ran out to the streets in terror. The same scenes of panic were played out 150-200km away in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling and 750km away in Kolkata.
At least three houses collapsed in Jorthang in south Sikkim, injuring the residents. Two deaths each were reported in west and east Sikkim and one in north Sikkim. Two persons-Pushpa Agarwal and Dal Bahadur Chhetri-were killed in Kalimpong and nine injured.
In Siliguri, a house collapsed in Rabindranagar. "It seemed as if somebody had grasped my house and was rocking it from side to side. Things came tumbling out of the cupboards and almirahs," said Pratima Mukherjee, a Jalpaiguri resident. Patients ran out of nursing homes. In Darjeeling, tourists and residents rushed to the Mall. The darkness added to the panic as thousands huddled in prayer on the streets.
Kolkata was rattled just when Puja shoppers had started flocking to malls and shopping complexes. People streamed out of homes and malls. Multi-storey apartments were vacated and multiplexes deserted. There was panic in high-rises. Residents of South City apartments clambered down from their flats and waited in the compound for over half an hour. "We ran down following an announcement over the public address system. The way the towers shook...We were terrified," said DN Agarwal, a resident.
At the mall next door, shoppers beat a hasty retreat, choking Prince Anwar Shah Road. In north Kolkata, thousands streamed out of a Big Bazaar outlet on VIP Road, choking it completely. Many tripped in their rush to get out. Escalators were crammed and most preferred not to use the elevators. "I have experienced a few quakes in Kolkata but never one as powerful as this. It seemed I would fall," said Debjani Ghosh, a shopper at South City mall.
Gariahat, the shopping nerve-centre of Kolkata, wore a deserted look as shopkeepers pulled down shutters. The quake caused cracks at the Ultadanga police quarters and many houses in Burrabazar.
"I was watching a film at a multiplex when the chairs started shaking violently. I stayed back but most rushed out," said Shubhro Ray, a Salt Lake resident. Akhil Ruia, an industrialist, ran out of his flat and waited on Alipore Road with his family for close to an hour. "My neighbours, too, were on the streets. I have never seen a quake like this in Kolkata," he said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee met chief secretary Samar Ghosh to review the situation on Sunday evening. Two control rooms, one for the city and another for the state, have been set up. "We have instructed all district administrations in north Bengal to be alert. Senior officers will be on the roads to monitor the situation," said Mamata Banerjee.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-19/india/30175275_1_south-sikkim-jolts-quake
KOLKATA: An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hit the Sikkim-Nepal border at 6.10pm on Sunday, killing at least 18 people on both side of the border, according to preliminary reports which suggested the death toll was likely to rise. Over 100 were injured besides causing extensive damage to buildings and roads. The quake rattled the entire eastern region-Bengal, the North-eastern states, Jharkhand and Bihar-and was felt as far away as Delhi and Rajasthan.
Reports said at least seven people had died in Sikkim, three in and around Darjeeling, one near Siliguri, two in Bihar and five in Nepal, three of them in a wall collapse outside the British embassy in Kathmandu. Sixty people were reported injured in Sikkim.
With power and communication lines down in Sikkim and Gorkhaland areas, reports were still sketchy for hours after the quake. Scores are feared trapped under collapsed buildings in Gangtok, Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
"Landslides and house collapses have been reported from various parts of Sikkim. With power lines down, it is difficult to assess the damage at this moment, said AK Singh, district magistrate of South Sikkim.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, who reportedly described the damage as serious. "Tremors were felt between 30 seconds to one minute in some parts of Sikkim, including Gangtok," Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the earth sciences ministry, said in Delhi.
The temblor sparked panic in Kolkata, which has not felt a quake of such intensity in decades, and large parts of North Bengal. In Kolkata, people ran out of homes, shopping malls and multiplexes which shook violently for several seconds.
Many malls and highrises were evacuated. In Jalpaiguri, the administration made public announcements for people to stay in the open till midnight.
The epicentre of the quake was near Namche Bazar, some 68km northwest of Gangtok. Three aftershocks of 5.7, 5.3 and 4.6 magnitude were felt in the region within 30 minutes. Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri were also jolted in the aftershocks. Those who had just begun to get through to their friends and relatives in the affected areas heard screams of terror over the scratchy phone network.
The Army has been called out in Sikkim and the National Disaster Force kept ready for rescue work. Four IAF planes were dispatched with rescuers and relief equipment.
"Since the epicentre was near the Nepal-Sikkim border, Sikkim bore the brunt of the quake. We are just starting to get reports of the damage," said GN Raha, who is in charge of the Sikkim Meteorological office. Chamling has called a meeting of top officials at 9am on Monday.
At 6.10pm, the quake started as a mild shake for a few seconds. After a momentary lull, it hit with full intensity, reports said. Buildings started swaying violently and houses creaked. People ran out to the streets in terror. The same scenes of panic were played out 150-200km away in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling and 750km away in Kolkata.
At least three houses collapsed in Jorthang in south Sikkim, injuring the residents. Two deaths each were reported in west and east Sikkim and one in north Sikkim. Two persons-Pushpa Agarwal and Dal Bahadur Chhetri-were killed in Kalimpong and nine injured.
In Siliguri, a house collapsed in Rabindranagar. "It seemed as if somebody had grasped my house and was rocking it from side to side. Things came tumbling out of the cupboards and almirahs," said Pratima Mukherjee, a Jalpaiguri resident. Patients ran out of nursing homes. In Darjeeling, tourists and residents rushed to the Mall. The darkness added to the panic as thousands huddled in prayer on the streets.
Kolkata was rattled just when Puja shoppers had started flocking to malls and shopping complexes. People streamed out of homes and malls. Multi-storey apartments were vacated and multiplexes deserted. There was panic in high-rises. Residents of South City apartments clambered down from their flats and waited in the compound for over half an hour. "We ran down following an announcement over the public address system. The way the towers shook...We were terrified," said DN Agarwal, a resident.
At the mall next door, shoppers beat a hasty retreat, choking Prince Anwar Shah Road. In north Kolkata, thousands streamed out of a Big Bazaar outlet on VIP Road, choking it completely. Many tripped in their rush to get out. Escalators were crammed and most preferred not to use the elevators. "I have experienced a few quakes in Kolkata but never one as powerful as this. It seemed I would fall," said Debjani Ghosh, a shopper at South City mall.
Gariahat, the shopping nerve-centre of Kolkata, wore a deserted look as shopkeepers pulled down shutters. The quake caused cracks at the Ultadanga police quarters and many houses in Burrabazar.
"I was watching a film at a multiplex when the chairs started shaking violently. I stayed back but most rushed out," said Shubhro Ray, a Salt Lake resident. Akhil Ruia, an industrialist, ran out of his flat and waited on Alipore Road with his family for close to an hour. "My neighbours, too, were on the streets. I have never seen a quake like this in Kolkata," he said.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee met chief secretary Samar Ghosh to review the situation on Sunday evening. Two control rooms, one for the city and another for the state, have been set up. "We have instructed all district administrations in north Bengal to be alert. Senior officers will be on the roads to monitor the situation," said Mamata Banerjee.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-19/india/30175275_1_south-sikkim-jolts-quake