Killer Tremors

As beautiful as it may seem, nature can be quite the unexpected threat one would not want to be a target of. The high altitude valleys and terrains of Sikkim had forever been pleasant to explore, but what happened in 2011 became quite breathtaking...literally.

The aftermath of a shocker; Image Source: India Times

On the evening of 18th September 2011, Indians had been going about their daily routines, as usual, seldom aware of what was to befall on them quite shortly. Just as the clock struck 6:10 p.m. (IST) tremors came shaking down destructing everything on their path. A 6.9 magnitude worth of massive earthquake with no less horrifying aftermath had emerged in the shallow depths of Gangtok, Sikkim. With a depth of 19.7 km, the epicentre fell 68km northwest of Gangtok, in Teplejung, Nepal.

This earthquake took the lives of at least 111 people in total with India having the majority of them. It lasted for 30-40 seconds but the impact and panic were massively widespread.

Though it originated in the northeastern region of India, the tremors were felt across Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China. Wreaking havoc with dangerous landslides and life-taking aftershocks, this earthquake was rated at MM VII (strong) on the Mercalli scale. The majority of the victims were however reported in India itself. The strongest of the tremors were felt in the western side of Gangtok and the south of the Siliguri region. Other regions that could feel the heavy shaking of land included Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, some places of West Bengal, Bihar, New Delhi, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh.

It was an intraplate earthquake that took place unexpectedly in an interplate region. A slight strike-slip faulting belonging to an intraplate source that was overriding the Eurasian plate had catalysed this earthquake. Multiple buildings were seen collapsed in Sikkim and many roads had cracked due to the severity of the tremors.

This calamity had struck people with fear since 60 people alone were killed in Sikkim, 7 in Bihar and 6 in West Bengal. Northern India was devastatingly affected since Gangtok faced around 20 consecutive aftershocks and the heavy rains kept triggering land and mudslides.

The aftershocks ranged from magnitudes of 5.7, 5.1, and 4.6 while occurring at a 30-minute gap since the original impact. Electricity was cut, communication had been disturbed and thousands of people had evacuated their homes. The heavy showers made rescuing become more hectic and difficult and the deeply-impacted region such as Gangtok could receive reinforcements only after situations got a little stable.

Rescue teams were urgently deployed and rushed to the scene in order to provide help as soon as it was possible. A group of 14 tourists and 150 villagers had been rescued by the army from northern Sikkim and the National Disaster Response Force was at the location searching for survivors and people in help. As far as 300 people who were mostly labourers, were given shelter and food in the Chungthang Gurdwara.

All of Sikkim was seen having helicopters flying high and medical camps set up everywhere. It was a sight of horror and danger which had affected people both mentally and physically. The NH31A was so badly hit and it took a lot of repairing afterwards. As people recovered from this traumatic experience, another earthquake took place on the exact same date a year later. It was as if nature wanted to mess around a little, but who knows.

10 years later, the same incident still sends shiver down the spines of many. Natural calamities have forever been terrifying while they come with a reminder to make this world a better place for everyone to exist together and call nature our home.