Modi reviews situation as earthquake kills 34 in India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation after a massive earthquake hit several parts of the country.

Indian Home Secretary LC Goel told the media that at least 34 people were killed across the country.
 
Twenty-three died in Bihar, three in West Bengal while eight people died in Uttar Pradesh as tremors were felt across India.
 
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Principal Secretary to the PM Nripendra Misra, Additional Principal Secretary to the PM PK Mishra, and senior officials of the government, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
 
Government sources told bdnews24.com that at least two Indians have died in Nepal. Around 250 Indians were evacuated on Saturday night.
 
Officials said exact number of Indian casualties could not be known immediately.  
 
Prime Minister Modi had earlier spoken to the president and prime minister of Nepal, and the chief ministers of the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh.
 
Modi has assured Nepal of all assistance in dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.
 
“The prime minister directed immediate dispatch of relief and rescue teams, including medical teams to Nepal, as well as to affected areas in India,” a NDRF official said.
 
“He also directed that proper arrangements be made for rendering assistance in evacuation of stranded tourists.”
 
An earthquake with an intensity of 7.9 on Richter scale with epicentre 77 kilometre north-west of Kathmandu hit the region.  
In order to deal with the situation in the affected states, five teams of NDRF have already been sent there.
 

“Each team of NDRF consists of 45 personnel who are fully equipped with the modern equipments to deal with search and rescue operations. The team also includes medical and para-medics,” said the official.

The teams have equipments such as live detector machines, cutters which can cut steel, concrete and wood, the official added.

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee said India was committed to assist Nepal in every possible way to deal with the crisis.

In a message to his Nepalese counterpart, Mukherjee also conveyed his heartfelt sympathies to those affected and sincere wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“I am deeply concerned to hear of the disastrous earthquake that struck Kathmandu this morning, causing loss of lives and widespread damage to buildings and property,” he said in the message.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) in the Cabinet Secretariat also met and reviewed the situation through video-conferencing with the chief secretaries of the affected states.

It was decided that the NCMC would meet regularly to take stock of the situation and the relief measures.

Control Rooms have been set up both in MHA and NDMA with following number: 011- 2309 3564, 23093566 (MHA Control Room), 011-26701728, 26701729, 9868881801(M) – (NDMA Control Room).

Meanwhile, an inter-governmental coordination cell has been set up in Cabinet Secretariat which will coordinate all relief measures for Nepal as well as for Indian States.

This will function on round-the-clock basis. The phone numbers of the cell are:- 011- 2301 6633, 2379 2281.