Quake: 30 dead, 81 injured in Bihar

Patna, Apr 25: At least 30 people were killed and 81 injured in roof and wall collapse in Bihar after a high intensity earthquake rocked several parts of the country and Nepal.

Latest casualty figures available with state Disaster Management department said that eight persons died in East Champaran district, while six others lost their lives in Sitamarhi, both sharing borders with Nepal. [At least 1500 killed in Nepal earthquake]

Other deaths have been reported from Darbhanga (5), Supual (2), Saran (2), Madhubani (2), Lakhisarai (2) and one each in Araria, West Champaran and Sheohar, the report said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar around two hours ago had put the toll at 25 and the injured at 133. Injured are reported from Darbhanga, East Champaran, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, East Champaran, Sheohar, Supual, Nalanda, Samastipur, Gopalganj, Vaishali and Muzaffarpur, he said.

The Chief Minister has announced ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to families of all the dead in the earthquake. He also ordered free treatment of those injured.

Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief P K Thakur, Principal Secretary Disaster Management Vyas Jee and his counterpart in Health Brajesh Mehrotra were huddled with the CM in the meeting which took place immediately after Kumar landed in Patna from Delhi and headed straightway to the Secretariat.

Principal Secretary Disaster Management Vyas Jee urged citizens not to rely on "rumours" and contact control room on 0612-2217305 in case of any distress. The control room would function round-the-clock.

He told reporters that the department had come to know that rumours were being spread in social media that a high intensity earthquake would repeat late in the night and at some places poison has been mixed in drinking water.

Vyas Jee described these as "rumours" and appealed to the citizens not to go by these. He urged citizens not to panic and just be on alert normally needed in times of such natural calamity.

PTI