More Than 20 Die in Himalayan Earthquake

Rescue workers in India scrambled to reach villages in the remote Himalayan state of Sikkim on Monday, where at least 22 people have died and dozens more were injured Sunday night in an earthquake that measured a magnitude of 6.8. 

At least six were killed in Nepal, and China’s Xinhua news service reported seven deaths in Tibet. The Associated Press reported than 11 people had died in Bihar and West Bengal, Indian states that border Sikkim. 

The earthquake crumbled winding roads leading to the mountainous regions and dense clouds kept helicopter aid flights grounded. 

A. C. Negi, a senior police official in Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim State, said that the northern part of the state bore the brunt of the quake. 

“We also cannot assess the damage because many areas are inaccessible,” Mr. Negi said. “We are trying our best.” 

Seven people were trapped in a bus caught in a landslide but rescue workers have not yet been able to reach them, he said. 

India’s home secretary, R. K. Singh, told reporters that he expected road access to Sikkim to be restored by evening, and a dozen teams of National Disaster Response Force troops were standing by at a nearby airport to be airlifted to Sikkim as soon as weather clears.

In Nepal, three people died in the capital, Katmandu, and three deaths were reported elsewhere in the country. Laxmi Prasad Bastola, an official at the National Emergency Operation Center, said that reports of damage in remote parts of the Himalayan nation were still trickling in, and that several people had grave injuries. 

“This toll can go up as there are 24 seriously injured people,” he said.