Large earthquake hits India

This morning Sunday September 18th, 2011 at 8:40 AM Eastern Time, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurred at depth of 12.2 miles. The quake hit the northern Indian state of Sikkim, which borders Nepal. The area hit by the earthquake is in the mountainous Himalayas range. The quake was so powerful that it sent members of the Indian Parliament running out of their assembly hall.

Luckily there was no tsunamis warnings issued for the area. However, there have been casualties already; the death toll is at 63 and many more have been injured. At least 100,000 homes were wiped out as well. Collapsed buildings,cracked sidewalks, landslides, and power outages were also associated with this quake closest to the epicenter of the quake near the city of Gangtok. Emergency response crews are rapidly responding to the quake and rescues are underway. At least 6,000 troops are scrambling to clean up debris from destroyed buildings.

Image source:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0005wg6.php


Articles used: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-09-18/india-earthquake-fatalities/50456078/1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/19/himalayan-earthquake-kills-dozens