Toll crosses 3,200 dead in Nepal.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: As the death toll rises in Nepal and its bordering states in India after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Kathmandu Valley, aftershocks continues at regular intervals. The latest aftershock registering a magnitude 5.1 occurred near Siliguri, West Bengal, on April 27.
The earthquake on Saturday afternoon was the strongest quake that Nepal has been hit by since 1934. The death toll in Nepal has risen to 3,200 and many are still under the rubble of collapsed buildings, waiting to be rescued.
In India, casualties continue to be reported from the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, with death toll climbing to 52, and hundreds more injured, and missing.
Even though India suffered from the earthquake, it was one of the first countries to commence the rescue operations in Nepal. Indian Air Force choppers have already rescued hundreds from the valley of Kathmandu, one of the tourist hubs of Nepal.
India has also setup temporary hospitals in Nepal’s worst hit districts, with doctors taking care of the wounded. India has also sent a group of engineers to restore the road transport. All the rescue efforts in Nepal are directly monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office, and Modi has already offered his one month salary towards relief operations in Nepal.
State-wise casualties in India:
Bihar
Bihar, which shares a border with Nepal, has confirmed that 25 people have been killed in the state after the earthquake. The tremors were felt in the capital Patna and people were reportedly in panic, desperate to find safe ground.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh, another Indian state bordering Nepal, also felt strong tremors and at least 24 people are feared dead and hundreds more injured. The earth started shaking with a thunderous roar at around 11:30 am and again at 12:30 p.m., creating panic. Some old buildings suffered damage as the first quake was followed by a series of aftershocks. The telecommunication systems went haywire as mobile towers collapsed. Immediately after the quake, the government announced shut down of all schools and magistrates were asked to go on field to assess the damage caused by the devastating earthquake.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, announced Rs. 7 Lakh for the kin of those who lost their lives in the earthquake; Rs. 50,000 to those who suffered grievous injuries and Rs. 20,000 for those who sustained minor injuries.
West Bengal
Three people were reportedly killed in the earthquake in the state of West Bengal and many injured, include schoolchildren. Siliguri district which still registers aftershocks is just 600 Km away from the epicentre of the quake, and suffered the most damage.
Thirty school students were injured as the railing of a building which they were leaning against collapsed throwing the students on to the ground. Some other students got injured as they rushed downstairs in panic causing stampede. They were rushed to hospital.
According to a report by NDTV, at least 38 Indian cities, including 60% of the country’s subcontinent landmass, is under risk of earthquake.
Earthquakes, caused due to the shift or movement of the tectonic plates, have a history of causing widespread damage in many Indian states. Gujarat, the home state of Modi, was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in 2001 killing 20,000 people, injuring 1,67,000 people and destroying close to 80,000 homes.