Earthquake

Soldiers and rescue workers hiked through lashing rain to isolated Himalayan villages on Monday to search for survivors of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that has killed at least 53 people in India, Nepal and China.

Hampered by landslides, rescuers struggled to pull victims from the rubble on Monday, as the casualties in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, the epicenter of the 6.8 magnitude quake, rose to 22. At least 12 people also died in the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal. Over 200 were injured and several people were thought to be trapped in debris in remote villages that are still cut off. The authorities said the death toll would probably rise.

Thick cloud prevented helicopters from flying over the affected areas in the Himalayas, which is home to some of the world's highest peaks. Heavy rains slowed the arrival by road of thousands of soldiers, rescue workers and medics trying to reach the worst affected areas in the state.

Government shelters

Several thousand people have fled their damaged homes. Government shelters have been set up in the capital of Sikkim Gangtok but shops, businesses and offices are closed. Hundreds of tourists are now stranded on the main road leading out of Sikkim.

Army officers and border police stationed near the epicenter of the quake, close to the Chinese border, rescued at least 200 villagers. Their patrols sent in radio reports of more casualties on Monday as they spread out on foot to isolated mountain villages.

The quake hit on Sunday at 12.40 UTC and was felt in five countries including Bangladesh and the Buddhist kingdom Bhutan. Outside India, at least seven people died in Nepal and seven were also reported dead in Tibet, according to China's state-run news agency Xinhua.

Several moderate intensity quakes have hit India this September, none of them causing any major damage until now.

Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Anne Thomas