Indian bishop concerned landslides will block quake relief efforts
(Sept. 21, 2011) An Indian bishop expressed concern that landslides block relief
efforts in the mountainous border region of India and Nepal, that suffered a magnitude
6.9 earthquake last Sunday. We still do not have a complete picture of the tragedy,
though the death toll is low, the devastation is very high," Bishop Stephen Lepcha
of Darjeeling told Catholic News Service by telephone on Monday.(Sept. 20). Darjeeling
Diocese includes the Indian state of Sikkim, where the quake was centered. The Himalayan
state borders Bhutan, China and Nepal. More than 80 people were killed, including
more than 60 on the Indian side of the border and at least 20 in Nepal. Hundreds were
injured in the Sept.18 quake that the bishop called the strongest he ever experienced.
Bishop Lepcha said when the earthquake struck, he was on a pastoral visit to
a church center at Kurseong, an hour's drive from Darjeeling, with an elderly priest.
The prelate said he remained with the priest and started praying, until other priests
rushed in looking for them, after the 40-second earthquake. The biggest worry now,
he said, is "the widespread cracks on hillsides and roads due to the earthquake.
This is likely to lead to landslides when rainwater goes in and it will displace many
more families," the bishop said. The Indian government has flown in more than
5,000 military workers and earth movers to repair roads and restore electricity and
communication links to the remote areas. Bishop Lepcha said while the century-old
Immaculate Conception Cathedral and other archdiocesan buildings developed cracks,
Holy Cross Primary School in Tadong, and the remote convent of Sisters of St Joseph
of Cluny at Gitdubling suffered serious damage.