Sikkim earthquake toll rises to 60

Dikchu (Sikkim), Sept 21: The death toll in quake-hit Sikkim rose to 60 overnight with seven more bodies recovered from East and North Sikkim, while the bus missing with 24 passengers and crew was rescued from Tung.

Official sources said today that six bodies were recovered from East Sikkim.

Army, NDRF and disaster management personnel walked to Tung, between quake epi-centre Mangan and worst-hit Chungthang and rescued the people in the bus last night, the sources said. However, one person in the bus died.

Rescue teams are yet to reach Chungthang which is in the mountains.

A PTI correspondent found that villagers of Dikchu Valley were very worried in the absence of any communication from their menfolk who work in the Teesta project at Chungthang, which is about 12 km away, since the calamity struck.

A large number of houses had either collapsed or were badly damaged by Sunday's temblor and at least 10 major cracks were seen on the Singtam-Dikchu road.

Most of the people in Dikchu are staying in open areas for fear of aftershocks.

There was, however, no threat to the Teesta hydel project stage 5, situated here as the NHPC authorities had opened the sluice gates and the water level had gone down, sources in the company said.

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit north Sikkim later in the day, official sources said.

PTI