By IANS,
Gangtok : The toll in the Sikkim earthquake Wednesday went up to 61 as workers continued to feverishly search the affected areas, an official said.
Heavy rains and landslides were hampering rescue work and locals were in a state of shock, he said.
The 6.8-mangitude quake Sunday had rattled large parts of India. It also jolted Nepal, Tibet and Bangladesh.
About 350 people were injured in the temblor, said the official.
About 2,000 people had taken shelter in makeshift relief camps set up by the government in various parts of the state.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will visit Sikkim later Wednesday to take stock of the rescue and relief efforts.
Educational institutions remain closed indefinitely. Students from outside Sikkim are moving out of the state for fear of fresh tremors.
People in the worst affected north Sikkim are distraught over the extensive damage to their homes and many passed the nights on pavements.
“We are scared to go inside our house at night and hence are staying in the open…,” said Maya Devi, 65, resident of Mangan, the epicentre of the earthquake in north Sikkim.
Road communication between Sikkim and the rest of India has been restored with army soldiers clearing massive landslides on National Highway 31A, the lifeline linking capital Gangtok to Siliguri in West Bengal.