Sikkim bridge collapses in east Sikkim killing eight people

GANGTOK: Sikkim was rocked by a quake measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale on Monday, after which a bridge collapsed in east Sikkim killing eight people. The incident happened three months after a 6.9 intensity earthquake left over 70 people dead in the state.

Mild tremors were felt in Darjeeling, too. But no damage was reported from either Gangtok or other populated towns and villages in the state. There is suspicion that the tremor had weakened the bridge as the region has been rattled by over 50 tremors in the past three months. Engineers are also investigating if excess load triggered the bridge collapse.

People were jolted awake around 3.05am by the quake that had its epicenter to the east of the Indo-Nepal border near Chungthang. The quake on Monday was the second in less than a week.

Source: indiatimes