Mamata Banerjee visits quake-hit Sikkim

Siliguri/Gangtok, Sep 20 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Sikkim on Tuesday after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake jolted the region.

The quake killed at least 82 people. The government confirmed 50 deaths in Sikkim and 18 in other states. At least seven people died in Nepal and seven more in Tibet.

Before leaving for Sikkim, Banerjee told mediapersons in Siliguri town said that her government would send doctors, medicines and food to help the victims.

"I want to go to Gangtok because I want to see my Sikkim, brothers and sisters. It is our bordering state and we are helping in whatever ways we can. We have already sent food and medicines packages and our doctors' team also went there. Our department is also coordinating with them," said Banerjee.

"I though that, let us try to reach there. If we cannot reach, then we will go there till wherever it is possible. We tried to meet the people, because there are so many of them who are hospitalised. We are also getting the information that many students are also stuck up there, so let us see," she added.

Sunday evening's earthquake with its epicentre near the border with Nepal, left a trail of devastation damaging roads, buildings and other structures, uprooting mobile phone towers and snapping communication and power lines.

Air Force helicopters took supplies to affected areas ringed by some of the world's highest peaks. Some mountain passes blocked by landslides were reopened and planes made two food airdrops.

Residents of Sikkim's Gangtok city sat on roadsides under umbrellas in the heavy rain and prepared for another chilly night-reluctant to go home for fear of aftershocks.

Many towns remained without electricity. Water supplies were scarce because of burst pipes and telephone communication was patchy. (ANI)