Earthquake jolts several Indian states; 19 killed

New Delhi: The 7.3-magnitude Nepal-epicentred earthquake jolted several Indian states, killing at least 19, injuring dozens and compelling hundreds of scared individuals to run out of their homes and offices to open spaces so they would feel secure.

Bihar once again bore the brunt of the temblor, which occurred less than three weeks after the monster quake that devastated Nepal, with 16 deaths. The April 25 earthquake had killed 58 in Bihar —the highest in the country.

Union Home Ministry sources said Bihar’s capital Patna accounted for the highest toll with four deaths, followed by Darbhanga and Saran (two each), besides Siwan, Nawada, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhepura, Motihari and Purnia (one death each) on Tuesday.

At least 12 students were hurt in a school in Darbhanga in Bihar as children rushed out to safety from classrooms after the tremors.Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered closure of all schools in Bihar for summer vacations from Wednesday. 

Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh was also shaken violently, leading to three deaths and over two dozen injuries, besides flattening of old houses. The deaths took place in the Sambhal, Mahoba and Hamirpur districts. In the national capital, motorists felt the jitters as their cars swayed wildly in the middle of the road.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation, and Cabinet Secretary Ajith Seth and Home secretary L C Goyal talked to state officials to ask if they would require any assistance from the Centre.

Modi



directed the authorities concerned to be on alert to rush in relief material and carry out rescue operations.

The Delhi Secretariat as well as many government buildings in the national capital were evacuated immediately after the quake. Metro services were immediately restricted.

In West Bengal, there are unconfirmed reports of two deaths and eight injuries. However, state Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee denied reports any casualty.

The quake, however, was felt by many in Kolkata. “I was driving, when suddenly my car began rolling backwards. It was scary,” an eyewitness told Deccan Herald from Kolkata. 

At Jalpaiguri in north Bengal, schools were closed after the quake and exams at the Siliguri College were held in open air. In Siliguri, the perimetre wall of the police commissionerate and one wall of a school collapsed due to the tremors, while at Jalpaiguri district hospital, patients ran out of the building carrying bottles of intravenous fluid. 

Metro services, too, were disrupted in Delhi and Kolkata, and trains ran slow.

The tremors were also felt in faraway Chennai and Kochi, where panicked residents rushed out of their homes and stayed out for hours. Mild tremors were felt In Rajasthan and Gujarat, too, but there was no loss to life or property. 

The Home Ministry is collecting information from states about the damage caused by the quake, and the National Disaster Response Force has been put on alert, said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.