40 persons, 24 in India, 9 in Nepal and 7 in Tibet, were killed and several others injured in the incidents of house collapses following an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude that rocked the border areas of Indo-Nepal-Bangladesh-Tibet Sunday evening.

Of the 24 dead in India, 19 people were killed in Sikkim and 5 deaths were reported from West Bengal.

The earth shook for four seconds at 6.11 pm in the border areas making the people run out of their houses for their lives in several north Indian cities and towns. Hundreds of houses collapsed or developed cracks because of the quake in Sikkim, Bihar and West Bengal.

The Sikkim state bore the brunt of the quake as the epicenter of the earthquake was traced to the Mungaon area, 50 km off Sikkim capital city Gangtok. Reports said the quake shook from depth of 10 km and three after shocks also followed the first one, though with reduced intensity.

TV sets and mobile phones did not work for several hours in Sikkim following the quake and officials said that several houses collapsed or damaged. The quake has also resulted in landslides at several localities in the hilly regions of Gangtok causing disruption in traffic.

Military in rescue and rehabilitation

The centre has rushed armed forces to Sikkim to undertake rescue and rehabilitation measures in the affected areas. Nearly 5000 army Jawans are involved in the massive rehabilitation and relief work. Meanwhile, heavy rains are lashing the northeastern areas hampering relief operations.

Fresh quake hits Meghalaya

A fresh earthquake of moderate intensity, measuring 4.3 on Richter scale, hit parts of the Meghalaya state this morning.

The epicenter of the quake was located along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border, officials at the observatory said. There are no reports of loss of life or property.