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2011 Sikkim earthquake
2011 Sikkim earthquake
Epicenter
Map showing the epicenter of the earthquake
Date 18 September 2011
Origin time
18:10 IST (UTC+05:30)
18:25 NPT (UTC+05:45)
18:40 BTT (UTC+06:00)
20:40 CST (UTC+08:00)
Duration 30 – 40 seconds
Magnitude 6.9 (Mw)
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Depth 19.7 km (12.1 mi)
Epicenter
27°43′23″N 88°03′50″E27.723°N
88.064°ECoordinates: 27°43′23″N
88°03′50″E27.723°N 88.064°E
Type Intraplate[1]
Countries or
regions
India
Bangladesh
Nepal
Bhutan
People's Republic of China
Max. intensity MM VII[2]
Tsunami No
Landslides Yes
Aftershocks Yes
Casualties At least 111 killed
The 2011 Sikkim earthquake (Hindi: २०११ सिकम भ िूप Sikkim Bhūkamp), also known as
the 2011 Himalayan earthquake (Hindi: २०११ हमालय भ िूप Himalaya Bhūkamp), was a
magnitude 6.9 (Mw) earthquake centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near theborder of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, at 18:10 IST (12:40 UTC) on Sunday, 18September 2011.[3] The earthquake was felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet.
At least 111 people were killed in the earthquake.[4] Most of the deaths occurred in Sikkim, withreports of fatalities in and near Singtam in the East Sikkim district.[5] Several buildings collapsedin Gangtok .[6] Eleven are reported dead in Nepal, including three killed when a wall collapsed in
the British Embassy in Kathmandu.
[7]
Elsewhere, structural damage occurred in Bangladesh,Bhutan, and across Tibet; another seven fatalities were confirmed in the latter region.
The quake came just a few days after an earthquake of 4.2 magnitude hit Haryana's Sonipatdistrict, sending tremors in New Delhi.[8] The earthquake was the fourth significant earthquake inIndia of September 2011.[9]
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Contents
1 Earthquake o 1.1 Geology o 1.2 Aftershocks
2 Impact o 2.1 India
2.1.1 Sikkim o 2.2 Nepal o 2.3 Bangladesh o 2.4 China o 2.5 Bhutan
3 Rescue operations and compensation o 3.1 India
4 See also 5 References 6 External links
Earthquake
Geology
The magnitude 6.9 (Mw) earthquake occurred inland at 18:10 IST on 18 September 2011, about68 km (42 mi) northwest of Gangtok , Sikkim at a shallow depth of 19.7 km (12.2 mi).[3] At itslocation, the continental Indian and Eurasian Plates converge with one another along a tectonic
boundary beneath the mountainous region of northeast India near the Nepalese border. Althoughearthquakes in this region are usually interplate in nature, preliminary data suggests the Sikkimearthquake was triggered by shallow strike-slip faulting from an intraplate source within theover-riding Eurasian Plate. Initial analyses also indicate a complex origin, with the perceivedtremor likely being a result of two separate events occurring close together in time at similarfocal depths.[1]
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USGS shake map
Located at a shallow depth beneath the surface, the earthquake caused strong shaking in manyareas adjacent to its epicenter reportedly lasting 30 – 40 seconds.[10][non-primary source needed ] Thestrongest shaking occurred to the west in Gangtok and further south in Siliguri, although similarground motions registering at MM VI (strong) on the Mercalli scale were recorded in manysmaller towns such as Mangan across elevated regions. Lighter tremors (MM IV – III) spreadsouthward through populous regions, with these motions reported in the Patna capital of Bihar and as far southwest as Bihar Sharif .[2] In all, the earthquake was felt in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China. Tremors were felt in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi states of India.[11] In Tibet, theearthquake was felt in Shigatse and Lhasa.[12]
Aftershocks
Sikkim experienced three aftershocks since the earthquake, occurring at magnitudes of 5.7, 5.1,and 4.6 (Mw) within 30 minutes of the initial earthquake.[13] Kathmandu experienced twoaftershocks that both had a magnitude of 4.8 Mw. The aftershocks had no serious impact in theregion. [14] At least 20 aftershocks back-to-back throughout the night created panic in theGangtok .[15] On 19 September, tremors shook some parts of Maharashtra measuring 3.9 (Mw)[16] at around 06:30 IST including Latur, Osmanabad and Solapur districts, all of which had alreadysuffered the 1993 earthquake.[17] However, no loss of life or property was reported.[18]
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Impact
Casualties by country
Country Deaths
India 97China 7
Nepal 6
Bhutan 1
Bangladesh 0
Total 111
The earthquake struck near a mountainous, albeit very populous region near the Sikkim – Nepalborder; most of the structures were reported to be highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking.[2] Upon impact, tens of thousands of residents evacuated their homes, and many areas suffered
from communication and power outages. The strong shaking caused significant building collapseand mudslides;[10] at least 111 people were confirmed killed by the effects of the earthquake, andhundreds of others sustained injuries. As the earthquake occurred in the monsoon season, heavyrain and landslides rendered rescue work more difficult.[19]
India
Northern India suffered the most from the earthquake, with at least 75 people killed.[15] 60 peoplewere reportedly killed in Sikkim alone.[20] At least 7 people have died in Bihar, while 6 deathshave been reported from West Bengal.[21] Power supply was disrupted in areas near Sikkim,including Kalimpong of Darjeeling district, and adjoining Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts;the outages were in part blamed on an affected electric substation in Siliguri.[22] Water supplywas interrupted in Sikkim. National Highway 31, the major highway linking Sikkim to the rest of India, was damaged.[19] Ten of the dead were workers at a hydroelectric project on the TeestaRiver.[23]
In India, property damage is estimated to be around 100,000 crore (US$20.28 billion) with theactual report yet to come.[24]
Sikkim
Two buildings of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police in the Pegong areas of North Sikkim collapsed.[25] In Gangtok , many government offices and hospitals were left unusable.[26] Theheavy shaking destroyed the villages of Lingzya, Sakyong, Pentong, Bay and Tholong.[27]
Nepal
In the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, damage from the earthquake was comparativelylimited.[14] Three people were killed when a wall at the British Embassy collapsed, and many
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others suffered injuries. The shaking effects were more severe in eastern Nepal, which is closerto the epicenter. There, hundreds of homes sustained significant damage, and due to saturatedsoil from preceding heavy rains widespread mudslides impacted the region.[28] Sunsari experienced power and telephone communication outages.[14] Two people were killed in theeastern city of Dharan.[29] Overall, in Nepal 6 people died due to the earthquake.[14]
Bangladesh
The earthquake was felt most strongly in northern Bangladesh. The quake was also felt in Dhaka, Sylhet, Faridpur, Bogra and as far as Chittagong.[30] Panicked people rushed out of their homesand offices,[30][31] but the only damage seems to be tilted and cracked buildings;[32] no casualtieswere reported.[31] Cell phone lines were also down for a few minutes during the quake.[31]
China
In Tibet, building collapse was reported in Yadong,[33] Dinggyê and Gamba.[12] At least seven
people were reported dead in Yadong.[34]
Telephone service was interrupted in the seat of Yadong County.[35]
Bhutan
So far there have been no reports of casualties in Bhutan; however cracks on walls and ceilingsof houses have been reported in Wangthangkha village, Lango and the town area in Paro. Thereare also reports of a landslide right after crossing the Isuna Bridge from Paro towards Thimphu, and falling boulders after crossing Chundzom Bridge. Citizens were asked to avoid traveling onthe Paro-Thimphu highway. Telecommunications networks were disrupted, with cellularnetworks unavailable after the quake.[36]
Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigmi Thinley updated in his status [37] as "Phone lines remainsclogged reflecting our caring and close knit society. No damage reported from East Bhutan. Fourroad blocks caused by falling debris are reported on the Chukha - Phuntsholing road. Two homesin Haa report damage with 3-4 people having suffered minor injury. Thimphu Dzong hassustained some cracks in the Utse and one of the four corner towers. Occupants have beenmoved out to safer parts. Please remain calm and alert."
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Rescue operations and compensation
India
Early rescue operations included four teams of National Disaster Response Force been rushed to
Sikkim and five more teams were being sent from Kolkata.[13] However, South and West Sikkimremained inaccessible delaying rescue operations owing to landslides caused by rainfall. A groupof 14 tourists were rescued by the army from north Sikkim. The army had deployed 72 columnsincluding infantry troops, combat engineers, four Dhruv and five Cheetah helicopters. Rain andlandslides had hampered the rescue efforts of workers searching for survivors.[15][38]
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, on 19 September, announced 2 lakh (US$4,100)as ex-gratia to a family member of those killed in the earthquake and 1 lakh (US$2,000) forseriously injured. Ex-gratia compensation of 5 lakh (US$10,100) for the kin of the deceased,50,000 (US$1,014) for those grievously injured and 25,000 (US$507) for those with minorinjuries was announced by Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling.[15]
