2011 Sikkim earthquake
USD[2] | |
Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong)[3] |
---|---|
Landslides | Yes |
Aftershocks | Yes |
Casualties | At least 111 killed |
The 2011 Sikkim earthquake (also known as the 2011 Himalayan earthquake) occurred with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and was centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, at 18:10 IST on Sunday, 18 September.[4] The earthquake was felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet.
At least 111 people were killed in the earthquake. Elsewhere, structural damage occurred in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and across Tibet; another seven fatalities were confirmed in the latter region.
The quake came just a few days after an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Haryana's Sonipat district, sending tremors in New Delhi.[9] The earthquake was the fourth significant earthquake in India of September 2011.[10]
Exactly a year after the original earthquake at 5:55 pm on 18 September 2012, another earthquake of magnitude 4.1 struck Sikkim, sparking panic among the people observing the anniversary of the original quake.[1][11][12][13]
Earthquake
The
Intensity
Located at a shallow depth beneath the surface, the earthquake caused strong shaking in many areas adjacent to its
Aftershocks
Sikkim experienced three
Impact
Country | Deaths |
---|---|
India | 97 |
China | 7 |
Nepal | 6 |
Bhutan | 1 |
Bangladesh | 0 |
Total | 111 |
The earthquake struck near a mountainous, albeit very populous region near the Sikkim–Nepal border; most of the structures were highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking.[3] Upon impact, tens of thousands of residents evacuated their homes, and many areas suffered from communication and power outages. The strong shaking caused significant building collapse and mudslides;[14] at least 111 people were confirmed killed and hundreds sustained injuries by the effects of the earthquake. As the earthquake occurred during the monsoon season, heavy rain and landslides made rescue work increasingly difficult.[19]
India
Northern India suffered the worst from the earthquake, with at least 75 people killed.[18] Sixty people were reportedly killed in Sikkim alone.[20] At least seven people died in Bihar while six deaths have been reported in West Bengal.[21] Power supply was disrupted in areas near Sikkim, including Kalimpong of Darjeeling district, and adjoining Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts; the outages were in part blamed on an affected electric substation in Siliguri.[22] Water supply was interrupted in Sikkim. National Highway 31, the major highway linking Sikkim to the rest of India, was damaged.[19] Ten of the dead were workers at a hydroelectric project on the Teesta River.[23]
In India, the total
Sikkim
Two buildings of the
Nepal
In the capital city of Nepal,
Bangladesh
The earthquake was felt most strongly in northern Bangladesh. The quake was also felt in
China
In
Bhutan
There were no reports of casualties in Bhutan, although cracks in walls and ceilings of houses were reported in Wangthangkha village, Lango and in the town area of Paro. There were also reports of a landslide right after crossing the Isuna Bridge from Paro towards Thimphu, and falling boulders after crossing Chundzom Bridge. Citizens were asked to avoid traveling on the Paro-Thimphu highway. Telecommunications networks were disrupted, with cellular networks unavailable after the quake.[36]
Prime Minister of Bhutan
Rescue operations and compensation
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2018) |
Early rescue operations included four teams of
Indian former
Lt Gen Bikram Singh, GOC-in-C, Eastern Command, also visited the earthquake-affected areas and met his senior staff officers to discuss the progress of Operation Trishakti Madad, the massive operation launched by the Army's 33 Corps to provide relief to those affected by Sunday's earthquake.
According to the Army, nearly 2,000 civilians are being provided shelter at eight Army relief camps at Gangtok, Chungthang, Pegong and Darjeeling. There are 400 others who have sought shelter at relief camps set up by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Several children from these camps even returned home on Tuesday and attended school
On Monday, when weather improved, Special Forces personnel slithered from helicopters into affected villages. Medical camps were set up and arrangements were made for casualty evacuation
21 engineering columns of the Army succeeded in restoring partial road connectivity to parts of north Sikkim on Tuesday. Telecommunications and power lines, that snapped due to the earthquake, were also restored.
In spite off all efforts, the highway to Gangtok remained badly affected due to landslides
See also
References
- ^ a b "Magnitude 6.9 – Sikkim, India: Tectonic Summary". United States Geological Survey. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ S2CID 128915677.
- ^ a b c "Pager – M 6.9 – Sikkim, India". United States Geological Survey. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Magnitude 6.9 – SIKKIM, INDIA". United States Geological Survey. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Himalayan quake toll climbs to 116, 40 stranded foreign tourists rescued Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, DNA, 21 September 2011
- ^ Earthquake claims two lives in Sikkim Archived 11 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, The Hindu, 18 September 2011
- ^ Bhardwaj, Mayank (18 September 2011). "Magnitude 6.8 quake in India, several dead". Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Earthquake kills 5 in Nepal Archived 5 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine, DNA, 18 September 2011
- ^ "Very strong earthquake in SIKKIM, India". 18 September 2011. Earthquake-report.com. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "Sikkim quake is India's fourth this september". NDTV. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Press Trust of India (18 September 2012). "Moderate quake jolts Sikkim, no report of casualty, damage". business-standard.com.
- ^ Abhinav Bhatt (18 September 2012). "Tremor felt in Sikkim, exactly a year after devastating quake". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Geological Survey of India" (PDF). 18 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Eight killed, 100 injured as strong quake jolts Sikkim-Nepal border region". The Economic Times. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "Quake toll mounts to 6 as quake jolts east, north India". The Times of India. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Ifeng.com. 19 September 2011. Archived from the originalon 30 March 2012.
- ^ a b "2 killed in Sikkim, buildings hit as quake jolts Northeast". DNA India. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Sikkim earthquake toll rises to 50". The Times of India. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Sikkim the morning after offers a grim picture". Ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "35 tourists airlifted, toll crosses 90". The Times of India. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ "Sikkim earthquake toll climbs to 66, rescue work hampered by landslides". The Times of India. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Many injured in northbengal, power supply disrupted". NDTV. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ 10 bodies recovered from Teesta project: ITBP Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, News One / IANS, 19 September 2011
- ^ "Nine villages still inaccessible, damage estimated at Rs 1 lakh crore". The Times of India. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ Sikkim quake: ITBP buildings collapse, Pegong area badly hit Archived 20 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine, The Economic Times, 18 September 2011
- ^ "Earthquake toll over 80; India 68; as rescue teams reach quake epicentre". Ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "The Times of India on Mobile". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ Adhikari, Prakash (19 September 2011). "Quake hits vast Himalayan region killing 63". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Powerful quake rocks Nepal, at least five killed". 18 September 2011. Nepalmountainnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b "6.8 tremor jolts Dhaka, Ctg, Sylhet". bdnews24.com. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b c "Powerful quake jolts Bangladesh, sparks panic". The Times of India. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "Two Dhaka buildings damaged in quake". bdnews24.com. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- Ifeng.com. 19 September 2011. Archived from the originalon 11 January 2012.
- ^ "西藏亚东县7人因地震死亡 消防救援". People's Daily. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
- ^ "印度锡金邦地震波及中国西藏边境地区". Xinhua News Agency. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
- ^ Powerful tremor rock western Bhutan, Kuensel online, 19 September 2011[dead link]
- ^ "Aanmelden". Facebook. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "Sikkim earthquake: Landslides hamper rescue efforts, toll 40". The Times of India. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Live Feed". resqcodelivefeed.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
External links
- Rediff.com: 40 killed in Sikkim quake; relief ops hit by landslides (slideshow)
- The Mw 6.9 Sikkim-Nepal Border Earthquake of September 18, 2011 – Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
- ReliefWeb's main page for this event.