Shallow epicentre proved fatal in Sikkim earthquake

Aftershocks and rain aggravate damage caused due to the powerful quake that occurred at a shallow depth of 10km.

New Delhi: The quake that shook Sikkim and parts of east India on Sunday evening was as powerful as the Chamoli earthquake of 1999.

The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, which explains the widespread tremors felt all over east and north India, including Delhi.

The intensity of the quake was recorded at 6.8 by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), while the US Geological Survey reported the magnitude as 6.9.

Aftershocks and bad weather in the region may have aggravated damage caused due to the quake, weather department officials said.

The quake was followed by aftershocks that measured 5.7 and 5.3 on the Richter scale.
"Quakes are not unusual in the region, which falls in the highest siesmicity zone of India,"IMD director general Dr Ajit Tyagi told Mail Today. Though the aftershocks were of a much lower intensity, they could have led to damage. Buildings that cracked during the quake could have collapsed as a result of vibrations caused by the aftershocks, he explained.

The rainy weather prevailing in the region too increased chances of landslides in the hilly areas, Tyagi said.

Sikkim falls in zone five, which is categorised as 'very severe intensity zone'. This zone covers nearly 12 per cent of India's landmass comprising the entire northeastern India, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

Source: www.indiatoday.in