Death shakes up state at noon

Joy Sengupta, TT, Patna, May 12: Yet another earthquake with its origins in Nepal touched off a wave of death and destruction in Bihar with the state government putting the toll at 10 but warning that the numbers could rise since information from the interior areas was still trickling in till late this evening.

Principal secretary, disaster management, Vyasji said the toll till evening was 10. "The toll as of now is 10. We are still in the process of verifying the numbers," he said. Sources in his department put the number of dead at 13. Besides, over 70 persons were injured, they said.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had initially said that 15 persons may have died in the quake that had its epicentre near Kodari in Nepal, over 500km to the north of the state. "We have information regarding death of 15 persons in incidents related to the earthquake today. But the confirmation process is on," he said at a news conference. Nitish held a meeting with officials shortly after the quake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, rocked Bihar a little after noon.

The government also declared premature summer vacation for all school students. "Schools will be closed from tomorrow onwards. They will open after the end of the summer vacation," Nitish announced. The summer break in most schools was scheduled to commence between May 16 and 22.

Nitish said the district magistrates have been asked to stay on alert. "Instructions have been given that the distribution of compensation should be done immediately. All preparations are being made for those who want to spend their nights in the parks and they wouldn't be facing any difficulties. We are on alert and people are advised not to panic and instead help each other," he said.

Nitish visited Gandhi Maidan in Patna late in the evening to oversee security arrangements for those spending the night in the open.

The cabinet met this evening and gave its go-ahead to the release of Rs 450 crore from the Bihar Contingency Fund (BCF) to provide compensation and monetary help to the victims of the earthquake. The cabinet, at its meeting held after the April 25 quake, had sanctioned Rs 1,750 crore from the BCF for the payment of compensation to farmers whose standing crop had been damaged in the thunder squall.

Disaster management department sources said the deaths have been reported from Patna (3), Purnea and Motihari (2 each) and one each from Siwan, Munger, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Gopalganj. The identity of one is yet to be ascertained.

In the state capital, middle-aged Bijender Rai, a resident of Mathiapur Math, died after a wall fell on him. "He was a labourer and was working in an under-construction house at Anand Bazaar locality in Sahpur area of Patna rural when a wall collapsed on him. He died on the spot," a police officer of the Sahpur police station said.

Also in Patna, one Asha Kumari who was running out of fear collapsed and died in Bahadurpur area. The other death reported from Patna was of Suresh Sao, who died of a cardiac arrest while rushing out of his shop at the Bihari Sao Lane in Kadamkuan.

Malti Kushwaha, state president of Union minister Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, suffered serious injuries in a stampede triggered by the quake in Aurangabad. She has been admitted to a hospital in Varanasi. The incident occurred when she was taking part in a meeting, which was also being attended by the Union minister. Kushwaha was escorted to safety by his security personnel.

The quake sparked panic across the state still recovering from the April 25 temblor that claimed the lives of at least 48 people, besides causing widespread devastation. The April quake was preceded by a devastating thunder squall that flattened trees and houses across large swathes of northeastern Bihar.

Mindful of the spate of natural calamities that have hit the state, Nitish directed officials of the disaster management department as well as the district magistrates to stay alert, survey the damages and pay compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those dead.

The earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, hit the state, including Patna, at 12.35pm. The tremors lasted for 42 seconds - long by seismic standards - prompting widespread panic and fear among the people of the state capital. The second aftershock, which measured 5.6, was felt for around two seconds at 12.47pm and the last major aftershock, which lasted for around 10 seconds and measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, jolted the state at 1.06pm.

Till evening, the state experienced more than 15 aftershocks, the last one at 7.13pm, measuring 3.6, Patna Met department director Ashish Sen told The Telegraph.

"The earthquake has mainly rattled the districts of north and eastern Bihar. We have sounded an alert for the next 48 hours. Those people who live in weak and damaged homes are at the highest risk and they should act accordingly. The aftershocks will happen but will gradually decrease. People shouldn't panic and instead exercise caution," Sen said.

Today's tremors triggered more panic as the people had more or less overcome the fear of the April 25 quake. "We thought that it was over now. We were leading a normal life. But the repeat of the tremor today has jolted us. We are panicking because of its unpredictability," said Ajoy Kumar Sinha (62), a retired SBI official and resident of Boring Road, where residents rushed out on to the street from their high-rise homes.

The administration has set up several helpline numbers: 0612-2217301, 0612-2217302, 0612-2217304, 0612-2217305, 0612-2215734. The Patna district administration has also released two numbers (0612-2219810 and 0612-2219234), officials in the DM's office said.