Raprayag - At least 72 people were killed when a powerful earthquake and aftershocks jolted India's Himlayan foothills several hours before dawn yesterday. Officials said the final death toll could run into the hundreds.
The quake was felt across many parts of northern India, western Nepal and southern China. The first tremor, measuring 6.8 on the open-ended Richter scale, came at 35 minutes after midnight. It was the second time in nearly eight years that the remote area had been hit by a severe earthquake.