Three Asian countries shook because of the earthquake

At least 19 people were killed when a seismic shook India, Nepal and Bhutan yesterday.

AFP quoted the US Geological Bureau as saying that the magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked the Indian state of Sikkim - bordering Nepal, Bhutan and China's autonomous region of Tibet - around 6:10 pm local (19h40 on September 18, Vietnam time).

The earthquake epicenter was over 60km northwest of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim state. At least 60 people in the state were injured and the city of Gangtok fell into darkness due to a power outage. Nine people were killed in places outside Sikkim state due to trampling in the crowd and collapsing houses.

People in the city of Siliguri, Sikkim state, India, ran to the street after an earthquake on September 18. (Photo: AFP)

'Power is cut. People run to the street. We rushed out of the house. Even some people jump through the window. Cracks appear in many buildings ', CK Dahal, a Gangtok city resident, told CNN-IBN.

Mr. Karma Gyatso, senior official of Sikkim state, announced that at least 5 people died and 60 people were injured in the state due to landslides and collapsed houses.'We received news that a few dozen houses collapsed and the road to many cities was blocked by landslides ,' he said.

People in three other Indian cities, Guwahati, Kolkata and New Delhi, also felt the earthquake. The distance between New Delhi and Gangtok is about 1,000km. About 1,000 inmates at a prison in West Bengal state evacuated after the prison was destroyed by an earthquake.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the National Disaster Management Agency for emergency meetings. Ajit Seth, secretary of the cabinet, said military aircraft had arrived in Sikkim state and rescuers and supplies.

In Nepal's Kathmandu capital, transport vehicles stopped moving for a while, while guests in hotels and restaurants rushed to evacuate. Hundreds of tourists and residents wait for news in car parks and streets. Police reported 3 people killed in earthquakes in Nepal.

The buildings in Bhutan's capital Thimphu also shook, but officials have not released information about casualties and physical damage.

Two aftershocks occur after the earthquake in which aftershock has a magnitude of 6.1 Richter. The death toll may increase as central officials contact the authorities in remote areas.