Quake toll reaches 9 in Bengal, Mamata visits affected areas

Kolkata, Sept 19 (PTI) The death toll in Sunday's quake
in north Bengal was put at nine by Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, who is now on a visit to the affected areas.
The chief minister told PTI over phone that the death
toll mounted to nine in quake-hit north Bengal.
She said that the state government had announced Rs two
lakh as compensation for the family of the deceased, Rs 50,000
for the injured and Rs 25,000 for those with simple injuries.
Unconfirmed reports, however, put the toll at 12 in the
affected districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur.
Heavy rains stood in the way of conducting rescue
operations in the North Bengal districts.
Banerjee visited the injured in Siliguri hospital and
quake-hit areas of Kurseong during the day before holding a
high-level meeting to step up rescue and relief operations.
State Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh said here that 40
persons were being treated at Darjeeling hospital.
While Darjeeling bore brunt of the tremor, Jalpaiguri,
North Dinajpur and Coochbehar were partly affected.
Four deaths were reported from Darjeeling, two from North
Dinajpur and one from Jalpaiguri, Ghosh said.
A total of 3,141 houses were totally demolished due to
tremor, while 7,703 were partly damaged.
During her visit to North Bengal, the chief minister said
that if situation permits, she would personally make an
attempt to take relief materials for the succour of Sikkim
people tomorrow.
He said that 2,000 food packets were handed over to IAF
for airdopping in neighbouring Sikkim which was, however,
hampered due to inclement weather.
One lakh pieces of tarpaulin sheets and medicines were
rushed to Sikkim from West Bengal, he added.
The chief secretary earlier briefed Union cabinet
secretary Ajit Seth about the quake situation in North Bengal
and the state government's assistance to the affected people
of Sikkim.
As per the chief minister's wishes, he said, West Bengal
government had made ready food packets, medicines and
tarpaulin.