September 21, 2011. Some 17 killed in landslide at hydroelectric project following earthquake in India

SOURCE:

Altegrity Risk International

Soldiers in northeastern India cleared a path on September 21st to a hydroelectric project where 17 people were confirmed killed by landslides in the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck on September 18th along India's border with Nepal. Rescue efforts have been hampered by heavy rain and mudslides that have blocked roads leading to remote villages. A press statement from the firm that is building the plant said that 10 workers were killed when their vehicles were buried during the quake by boulders dislodged from a hillside. Another seven were killed in a separate landslide.

The deaths from the quake were spread across a wide swath of the Himalayan region, with officials reporting 68 dead in the worst-hit state of Sikkim, 12 in West Bengal, six in Bihar, six in the neighboring Nepal, and another seven in the Chinese region of Tibet. The toll was expected to rise as rescue workers gained access to remote villages in the sparsely populated region.

Meanwhile, some 35 tourists, including two from Norway, were airlifted on September 21st by the Indian Army from Lachung village, one of the worst-hit quake areas in Sikkim. Also airlifted were 16 injured people.

Copyright © 2011, Altegrity Risk International, Inc.