Bhutan - The 6.3-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday damaged nearly 200 homes, monuments, monasteries, government offices and schools in a little populated eastern region of the country, state-run Kuensel newspaper reported.
Thousands of people in the eastern districts of Bhutan spent the night out in the open after a powerful earthquake killed at least 12 people as of 9:30 pm on Tuesday night.
The first tremor of the earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre in Mongar district, was felt around 2:55 pm and "made the surrounding hills look like they were throwing up dust," according to Sangay Tenzin, who was driving along the Trashigang-Riju road. "The road was suddenly filled with boulders and mud," he said.
Five people were killed in Mongar. A 31-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son were killed after their traditional wood and mud house collapsed in Narang gewog, the worst hit area in Mongar. Two women, aged 49 and 80, were also killed in Narang. It was reported that a 42-year-old woman, a road worker, was found buried under debris in Kurichhu, Mongar. Six students and one farmer were also injured.
In Trashigang's Yangneer village, two men in their 60s were killed after their house collapsed. A 7-year-old boy was also found dead in his home in Jomtshang village. Five people, including two children, were injured.
In an area seven kilometres away from Samdrupjongkhar town, four Indian labourers, three women and one man, clearing the road after the first tremor, were killed by falling boulders.
Seven more tremors were felt in Trashigang after the quake hit, with the first few tremors occurring every half an hour. In Mongar, people said they felt three more tremors. The aftershocks lent credence to rumours across the country that another earthquake with a higher magnitude would hit later at night.
"We all ran out in panic and our neighbours were shouting: 'Get out of the house! Get out of the house' when the earthquake hit," said a 35-year-old businesswoman in Drametse, Mongar. "We haven't been able to step inside the house since most of our homes have been damaged."
A farmer in Narang village in Mongar, one of the worst hit areas, said that they could still feel the tremor, which was as strong as the initial earthquake. "Everyone is in shock," said Kesang. "Most houses in the lhakhang area have collapsed."
Many monuments, monasteries, chortens, houses and schools in eastern Bhutan have been damaged. There were heavy cracks on Trashigang dzong (fortress) and Lhuentse Singye dzong, according to district officials. Dzongkhag officials in Pemagatsel also reported that there was a major damage to Yongla Goenpa (monastery). The sertho (golden pinnacle) of the 17th century Trongsa dzong had also tilted, while parts of the Tshemey monastery in Yangneer, Trashigang, collapsed, injuring four people, including two monks. Roadblocks in many parts of Mongar and Trashigang were also reported.
Almost 50 houses and seven chortens (stupas) have been damaged in Yangneer gewog, according to Yangneer gup (village head). In Narang gewog (block) alone, more than 30 houses have been damaged.
In the other gewogs of Trashigang and Mongar, more than 100 houses, 19 chortens and 7 lhakhangs have been destroyed as of yesterday. Buildings of four schools in Mongar were also damaged by the eathquake.
"The students were practising dance in the one of the school buildings when the ceiling fell," said a civil servant, who was present in Woongchilo community school in Wamrong. "All the students rushed out of the room and no one was hurt."
In Trashiyangtse, about 45 to 50 houses have been partially damaged, while three schools were similarly affected in Lhuentse.
At least 15 people were injured in the eastern dzongkhags as of yesterday.
No damages were reported in the central, western and southern region of Bhutan.
A total of 30 earthquakes have been recorded in Bhutan between the years 1937 to 1998. Records with the department of geology and mines indicate that a 1941 earthquake, on January 21, was the most powerful, measuring 6.75 on the Richter scale.
People in Trashigang, who had gathered at the school football ground to spend the night and have lit a bonfire for warmth, said that they felt another tremor at 9 pm.