Toll rises to 135; 10,000 food packets airdropped

Tung (North Sikkim), Sep 23 (PTI) With 18 more bodies
recovered in North Sikkim, the north-eastern state of India,
on Friday, the toll in Sunday's devastating quake rose to 135
even as hundreds of people in affected remote areas moved out
of their villages fearing fresh tremors and landslides.
Rescue teams airlifted 22 stranded engineers and
airdropped over 10,000 food packets in the quake-hit
districts.
The disaster management control room in Gangtok said 17
bodies were recovered in the district since noon while one was
found in the morning.
They said rescue workers reached villages surrounding
Dzongu and Chungthang on foot as roads were still blocked by
landslides, making the prospect of the toll rising further
likely.
Scores of survivors trekked through difficult terrain and
inclement weather from Lachung, Lachen and Chungthang reaching
Tung, 10 km from Chungthang, one of the worst-hit areas, and
recounted how huge boulders hurtled down the hills smashing
their homes and leaving many dead and injured.
Over 10,000 food packets have been airdropped in the
quake-hit areas of north Sikkim as two major roads connecting
the region remained blocked due to landslides after Sunday’s
6.8 magnitude earthquake.
Home Ministry officials on Friday said another 5000 food
packets are being sent to Chungthan, Lachung and Lachen.
With 18 more bodies were found under the debris in North
Sikkim, the overall death toll has risen to 118 including 92
in the Himalayan state while West Bengal has reported 15
deaths, nine in Bihar, 11 in Nepal, seven in Tibet and one in
Bhutan.
The number of dead in Sikkim has climbed to 74 in North
District, East [13], West(4) and South (1).
Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has convened a
high-level meeting with top officials to take stock of the
situation and work out measures to further intensify relief
operations.
More than 100 relief camps have been set up across the
state where food supplies and other required materials have
reached, Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso told reporters.
Many villages in the region have been wiped out and the
chance of finding survivors was not bright.
After five days of the 6.8 magnitude temblor, stench of
bodies buried in the rubble of houses hung heavy in the air.
Heavy rains have worsened the situation for rescue workers.
"The pace of the rescue workers is slow due to disrupted
road communication and heavy rains. But they are slowly
gaining ground," a senior official said.
A five-storey building in Gangtok collapsed and four
others adjoining it were also damaged extensively.
At least two persons were trapped under the debris of the
collapsed house, which belongs to the state sports secretary,
officials said.
The office of United Sikkim floated by football icon
Baichung Bhutia was also housed in the building.
"We first escaped to Guma and spent the night there and
next morning we started trekking through extremely difficult
terrains covered with debris," said Karma Bhutia (30), who
arrived in Tung from Lachen after trekking for two days.
Bhutia said several villagers had to crawl some distances
in spells since they feared that the wet soil might cave in
any moment if they walked on such stretches.
Army sources said 22 engineers and technicians of Poddar
Construction, engaged by the Teesta Urja Project, were rescued
from Tung, five days after their bus was stranded during the
powerful tremor in Sikkim.
"Their bus was halted by a huge boulder and our men
rescued them from Tung yesterday. They will be sent to Gangtok
today," they said.
15 helicopters of Army and Air Force have been pressed
into relief work. For airdropping and reconnaissance, 150
sorties have been carried out so far," an official said.
While nine vital roads, including National Highway 31A
and National Highway 55, have been reopened for traffic, two
roads Chungthang–Lachen and Chungthan–Lachung continued to
remain blocked due to landslide.