New Delhi: Apr 25: At least 51 people were killed and more than 200 injured on Saturday after an earthquake epicentred in Nepal wreak havoc in northern and eastern parts of India.
Tens of thousands of people rushed out of their homes and offices in high-rises in panic as the quake rocked the region.
The impact was felt in almost all northern states and some in the east, particularly in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Sikkim and West Bengal.
Officials feared that the figures might increase once the debris is cleared. Reportedly, 38 people were killed in Bihar, 11 in UP and two in West Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting with top officials while Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth constantly reviewed the rescue operations with Home Secretary L C Goyal and others. Modi also spoke to Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav (UP), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim) and Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh).
Gearing up to face a possible increase in toll, the Centre also rushed five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to help the administration in rescue and relief operations in affected states.
Four NDRF teams have been rushed to Bihar and one to UP, Goyal said. In Bihar, they will be deployed in Darbhanga, Supaul, Motihari and Gopalganj, while in Uttar Pradesh, the personnel will be stationed in Gorakhpur.
The NDRF team consists of 45 people and they are armed with equipment like cutters, life detectors, breathing equipment, airlifting bags and medicines.
NDRF chief O P Singh said the personnel have satellite phones and other communication equipment. “Teams are self-sufficient to deal with all aspects involved in search and rescue operations after an earthquake,” Singh said.
The Centre has activated helplines and set up a control room for coordinating relief and rescue operations. An inter-governmental coordination cell has also been set up in the Cabinet Secretariat which will coordinate all relief measures for Nepal as well as for Indian states.
Seth also held back-to-back meetings of the National Crisis Management Committee to review the situation.
Panic-stricken people stand outside their houses after feeling tremors in Patna on Saturday.
Comments
Add new comment