6.8 earthquake hits across north, east India, B'desh, Nepal

An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the richter scale hit North India on Sunday and the epicentre was 64 km from Gangtok in Sikkim at 6:10 pm, causing damages in the area.

With the quake felt in Assam, parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The quake which was felt for some seconds around 6.10 PM triggered panic among the people who were enjoying their Sunday evening. Aftershocks measuring 6.1 and 5.3 on the richter scale were also felt around Sikkim 20 minutes after the earthquake.

There were reports of damages from Bihar. Two buildings collapsed in Katihar in Bihar. The NTPC power plant in Kahalgaon in Bihar has also been shut down because of the earthquake following which North Bihar was under power crisis. One person reportedly died in Bihar in a stampede following the Earthquake.

There were also reports of landslides following the earthquake in areas around Sikkim and also Darjeeling.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Sikkim Chief Minister and offered all help. The Prime Minister also directed the Cabinet Secretary to call for an emergency meeting.