giovedì 22 settembre 2011

Himalaya earthquake: search for survivors continues

Rescue workers with sensors and sniffer dogs searched through rubble on Wednesday for more survivors of an earthquake that has killed at least 100 people in a remote Himalayan region and left many, including 400 foreigners, stranded in far-flung areas.

More than 3,000 people have been rescued in the Indian state of Sikkim, the epicenter of the 6.9 magnitude quake that jolted India, Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet and was felt about 800km (500 miles) to the west in New Delhi.
It has caused about $21 billion of damage, according to Sikkim's chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.
Rescue operations have been hampered by heavy rain, thick clouds and landslides that cut off some of the worst affected areas.
Parts of north Sikkim, near the state's border with Tibet, remain out of reach as rain washed away roads that are now being hastily rebuilt by hundreds of construction workers.
Supported by army troops, construction workers were using anything from bulldozers to spades to their bare hands to clear away rocks that tumbled down in landslides and are still blocking the roads.
About 700 homes collapsed in the tremors, according to a home ministry statement. There were also local media reports that an under construction hydroelectric dam had collapsed and killed workers, but this was denied by the Sikkim government.

ENN

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