Very strong earthquake in SIKKIM, India

Last update: September 18, 2011 at 2:20 pm by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell

Earthquake overview : A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit India 12:40:48 UT (10:48 PM at epicenter) The depth of the hypocenter was at 20.7 km.
The quake comes just days after an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Haryana’s Sonepat district, sending tremors in New Delhi.

UPDATE: 14:13 UTC:-

Aftershocks of 6.1 and 5.3 have occurred. Regional TV station NewsLive reported that 10 to 12 buildings collapsedin Sikkim’s state capital of Gangtok. We expect further damage and fatalities close to the epicentre.

UPDATE: 14:11 UTC:-

From Earthquake-report.com reporter Szombath Balazs: Reports say BSNL lines in north Bengal are down cutting off communication links in the region. Power has been disrupted in Darjeeling and other northern parts of West Bengal. In Assam’s major city Guwahati, people panicked and ran out on the streets after the quake shook their houses. There were initial reports of minor damage.

UPDATE: 14:07 UTC:-

The first damage reports have come in with Indian reports detailing at least a dozen houses have collapsed in Sikkim alone.

to read more and for the updates, go to:   http://earthquake-report.com/2011/09/18/very-strong-earthquake-in-sikkim-india/