Fresh tremors were on Sunday felt in various parts of India, including the national capital Delhi, even as the death toll in Saturday’s earthquake climbed to 62.
The fresh tremors, which had a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter Scale and epicentred in Nepal, were experienced in West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi for over 30 seconds at 12:42 pm.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that the death toll in India after the quake has risen to 62 The earthquake has claimed 46 lives in Bihar, 13 in Uttar Pradesh, 2 in West Bengal and one in Rajasthan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a review meeting to take stock of the relief and rescue operations in the aftermath of the quake.
NDRF Chief O P Singh has rushed to Nepal in order to coordinate operations of the Indian rescue forces and local authorities in the quake-hit country.
Singh will be joining the seven National Disaster Response Force teams which have already landed in Kathmandu.
The Prime Ministers Office said that it has increased compensation to Rs 6 lakh from 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the earthquake.
As many as 50 people have been killed in Saturday’s earthquake in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said and directed government officials to carry out relief work for the affected on a war footing.
To mitigate the woes of people affected by a series of natural calamities in the past few months, it has been decided that one quintal foodgrain, besides Rs 5800 assistance will be distributed to each affected family as immediate relief, Kumar said.
He said an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh has been paid to the kin of all those people killed in the earthquake.
Referring to an aftershock which was felt on Sunday afternoon he urged people to remain vigilant and extend cooperation among themselves to allay fears arising out of frequent aftershocks which have been rocking Bihar since Saturday.
"I appeal to you all to display patience and remain united to guard against panic being created by false rumours being spread by mischievous elements through social networking sites," he said.
Kumar said he was in constant touch with the Centre to monitor the situation and lauded the Central government for doing whatever it could to mitigate the situation in Bihar.
The Chief Minister also announced closure of all schools for two days from tomorrow as a precautionary measure. All government and public schools in the state will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday for which necessary instructions has been issued, he said.
In Uttar Pradesh the toll mounted to 14, prompting Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to announce closure of all schools for next two days as a precautionary measure.
The break up of the toll, according to official sources, is Barabanki, Sant Kabir Nagar and Gorakhpur (three each), and Kanpur Dehat, Badaun, Kushinagar, Shravasti and Balia (one each).
In Khusinagar district bordering Nepal, one person died during tremors in Nauka Chappara village on Saturday, a police spokesman said..
Another death was reported from Balia district where a 60-year-old woman lost her life in an incident of wall collapse.
A team of 26 doctors along with para-medical staff from the King George Medical University has been rushed to the earthquake affected areas, including Nepal.
The Chief Minister has announced an additional remuneration of Rs 500 to buses and ambulances involved in relief work.
District Magistrate Lucknow Raj Shekhar has asked the residents of old buildings to stay away from the structures as a precautionary measure.
The chief minister has announced a financial assistance of Rs 7 lakh to the kin of those killed in the earthquake, Rs 50,000 to grievously injured and Rs 20,000 to those with minor injuries.
Yadav also talked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and apprised him of the situation in the state, an official spokesman said.
"The Chief Minister spoke to the Prime Minister and apprised him of the measures being taken by the state government," the spokesman said.
Promising all possible help to Nepal in the wake of the devastating earthquake, the Uttar Pradesh government has assured the Himalayan country that it will send water, food packets and medicines for the needy.
A decision was taken to send 10 trucks of mineral water, 10 trucks of biscuits and one truck of medicines for help to Nepal, an official spokesperson said.
The Uttar Pradesh government and the people of the state are with the people of Nepal in this hour of crisis, Chief Minister Yadav said.
A 24-hour Control Room has been set up at Uttar Pradesh Disaster Management Department to provide all help and information round-the-clock. The numbers of the Control Room are 0522-4015703 and 0522-4915723, he said.
So far, 550 Indians have been evacuated by the IAF from quake-hit Nepal. Since 10:40 pm Saturday night, four IAF aircraft have landed from Nepal with 546 Indians on board. The first aircraft to land was a C-130J with 55 passengers on board, including four infants, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.
Around midnight, a C-17 aircraft landed with 102 passengers which was followed by an IL 76 with 152.
Around 4 am, a C17 landed with 237 passengers, all who were evacuated following the massive earthquake that has claimed over 1800 lives.
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha said Indian authorities have responded "very proactively, very swiftly and I think every agency, every stakeholder in India who matters in providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in Nepal in times of their need has been activated and the response has been exceptional".
"Today, we have planned to send 10 large bodied aircraft carrying loads of equipment of behalf of the Army specially some of their field engineering companies, regiments...One aircraft has already gone airborne and other aircraft is getting ready. The operation will continue the whole day," he said.
India, which was the first to respond to the Nepal crisis, is stepping up its mission with transport planes scheduled to carry equipment, relief material and specialists to Nepal. Also on board with will the Army forward hospitals.
National carrier Air India has resumed its flights to quake-hit Nepal with two services- one each from Delhi and Kolkata - leaving for Kathmandu early Sunday morning.
Both the flights left around 7:30 am with 118 and 45 passengers on board each plane, an Air India spokesperson said.
Modi is himself monitoring the situation and has issued directives to ensure timely relief for those affected.
He has directed immediate dispatch of rescue and relief teams, including medical staff, to the affected areas.
