Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who cut short his visit in Delhi and rushed back home in the wake of the earthquake, arrived here late this afternoon.
At least 23 persons were killed and 48 injured in roof and wall collapse in Bihar after a high intensity earthquake rocked several parts of the country and Nepal today.
Special Secretary, State Disaster Management Department, Anirudh Kumar said that six persons died in East Champaran district, while four others lost their lives in Sitamarhi, both sharing borders with Nepal, the epicentre of the quake.
Other deaths have been reported from Darbhanga (2), while one death each has been reported from Supual, Araria, West Champaran, Sheohar and Saran, he said.
The Disaster Management Special Secretary said 48 persons have been injured in quake-related incidents in various parts of the state.
The injured have been counted from West Champaran, Sheikhpura, East Champaran, Sheohar, Nalanda, Munger, Vaishali, Darbhanga, Kisannganj, Araria and Vaishali among others, he said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who cut short his visit in Delhi and rushed back home in the wake of the earthquake, arrived here late this afternoon. Kumar straight away went to secretariat from Patna airport to hold a meeting with senior officials over the earthquake's impact in the state, chief minister office sources said.
Vijay Sinha, Commandant of the 9th battalion of NDRF based at Bihta in Patna district, told PTI that each NDRF team comprising about 45 personnel have left for Supual, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
State DGP P K Thakur told PTI that following the chief minister's directives, all district police superintendents have been directed to alert the police stations on wireless and assess the extent of the damage.
Director, State Meteorological office, A K Sen said there was a possibility of secondary jerks of the earthquake for the next 48 hours, particularly in areas like Darbhanga, Araria and Kisanganj bordering Nepal and an alert has been sounded to the state government in this regard.
Meanwhile, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked DoT Secretary Rakesh Garg to take stock of the damage to telecom network in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to the earthquake and initiate measures to restore the network.
"Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has instructed the Telecom Secretary Garg to take stock of the damage done to the communication network in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh due to earthquake and initiate measures to restore network in both private and public sector at the earliest," an official statement said. The statement added Chief General Managers of BSNL in Bihar and UP have been directed to assess damage and draw emergency plans to restore communication in the affected areas. "Instructions have also been given to inform the Minister on hourly bases on the progress achieved," it added.
A high-intensity quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, with epicentre in Nepal, today rocked many parts of East and North India, including Delhi. The tremors, which were felt in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, lasted for a minute, triggering panic and forcing people to rush out of their houses and offices.
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