September 20, 2011. Death toll rises to 81 as rescue operation continues in Sikkim, India
| SOURCE: | Altegrity Risk International |
The death toll for a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan area between India and Nepal rose to 81 on September 20th. Soldiers used dynamite and earth-movers to clear landslides on highways through the steep valleys linking the worst-hit northeastern Indian state of Sikkim to the rest of India. They managed to clear a path to Mangan, the closest area to the epicenter of the quake, but many other communities remained cut off and the death toll was expected to rise still.
Indian army helicopters ferried rescuers and dropped food and supplies to still-inaccessible villages in Sikkim. Residents of the state, which borders Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Chinese region of Tibet, have been spooked by at least five aftershocks.
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