The Hindu : National : Quake rocks Sikkim, two jawans killed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 15, 2006

National

National

Quake rocks Sikkim, two jawans killed

GANGTOK: An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude rocked Sikkim, parts of adjacent North Bengal and Assam, damaging at least 500 buildings in the entire region.

Two Army jawans were killed in a landslip at Sherathang, about five km down the border outpost at Nathula in east Sikkim, DIG (range) Akshay Sachdeva said.

Among the buildings damaged were the Raj Bhavan, State Assembly, Secretariat at Tashiling, police headquarters, New Lall market complex, Janata Bhavan and the 150-year-old Enchey monastery in Gangtok besides numerous private houses, school buildings, shops and hotels, he said.

Two persons, including a child, suffered minor injuries in two separate quake-related incidents in the East district. The child was injured when a flowerpot fell on him under the impact of the quake at Ranipool near Gangtok while a man suffered minor head injuries as a boulder rolled down on him at Indira Bypass Road. The quake partially affected water supply and telecommunication network throughout Sikkim.

Chamling's appeal

Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, who visited various affected areas in and around Gangtok, appealed to the people to be cautious but calm. — PTI

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