DHARAMSHALA, India: In a letter offering his condolences to the Chief Minister of Sikkim, His Holiness the Dalai Lama expressed his concern for the devastation caused by the recent
“I was saddened to learn about the loss of life and damage to property that the recent earthquake has caused across isolated Himalayan regions, particularly in Sikkim. I offer my sympathy and condolences to all those families, who have been directly affected by what I understand is one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory,” His Holiness said in his letter dated 20th September 2011.
His Holiness offered his prayers for those affected by this tragic natural calamity and also donated Rs. 500,000 from the Dalai Lama Trust towards relief work in the affected areas of the state.
The death toll from the Himalayan earthquake has climbed to 79, out of which 39 people have been killed in Sikkim.
Helicopters ferried rescue workers and emergency supplies, while paramilitary troops used earthmovers to clear landslides on highways linking the state of Sikkim to the rest of India, The Associated Press reported.
An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale struck Sikkim on Sunday evening, which also shook parts of North and East India and parts of Bangladesh and Nepal.
The epicentre of the quake is said to be just 64 kilometre North-West of Gangtok.