HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

September 19, 2011. At least 53 killed in earthquake along Indian-Nepalese border

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

At least 53 people have been killed after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit an isolated area of the border between India's Sikkim state and Nepal. Rescue teams are now battling landslides and torrential monsoon rains in the remote Himalayan region, complicating rescue efforts. The heavy rains and low clouds grounded helicopter flights in the area, and Indian relief and rescue teams trying to access the Sikkim state capital, Gangtok, were blocked by landslides on the only viable highway. Officials fear the death toll could rise as reports are still filtering in from distant towns and villages. More than 5,000 army troops were deployed in the area to try and restore road links with Gangtok and further north towards the epicenter. The shock waves downed power lines, causing blackouts in most of Sikkim and further complicating rescue efforts.

Tremors were felt more than 1,000km (600 miles) away in New Delhi to the west and Bangladesh to the east. Three people were killed in Nepal, and a wall crumbled at the British Embassy compound in the capital Kathmandu.