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Bhutan (1) -- News -- 2009
Bhutan hit by strong earthquake
21.09.2009
The 6.1 magnitude quake damaged monasteries and caused homes to collapse in the mountain kingdom.
The tremors also caused panic in the city of Guwahati, the capital of India's north-eastern state of Assam.
The epicentre was just inside Bhutan's border with India, 180km (115 miles) east of the capital Thimphu, the US Geological Survey said.
"We're trying to piece together information to assess the damage," said Ugyen Tenzing, Bhutan's director of disaster management.
He said rescuers were searching the rubble for survivors.
At least seven people died after buildings collapsed in the eastern districts of Mongar and Trashigang, close to the epicentre of the quake.
Three Indians died in Samdrup Jongkhar district, close to the Indian border, after the road they were working on collapsed.
More than 200 Buddhist monks and 100 local officials were forced to flee an ancient monastery - that also serves as a government office - in Trashigang, the Associated Press news agency reports.
"Houses, and monasteries and roads have been damaged. Mobile services are clogged," Trashigang Governor Lungthen Dorji said.
The US Geological Survey initially reported the quake's magnitude as 6.3 but later revised it down to 6.1.
A teacher from the Trashigang town of Kanglung told state-run radio there had been six to seven aftershocks.
Residents in Guwahati reported cracks appearing in several buildings, but no serious damage.
The quake was felt as far away as Bangladesh and Tibet.
Bhutan (1) -- Analyses -- 2009
Emergency assistance to the Kingdom of Bhutan
22.09.2009
The Himalayan nation of Bhutan suffered enormous damage when an earthquake struck parts of the country on 21st of September 2009 toppling schools, hospitals, temples, government offices and thousands of homes. At least 12 persons were killed and nearly 50 injured. A lot of countries are giving their best to help those who need it.
JICA(Japan International Cooperation Agency) said it was sending blankets, plastic sheeting, water purifiers and storage tanks from its central warehouse in Singapore, first by air to Bangkok and then by road to the Lao capital of Vientiane to help survivors of the storms.
UNICEF is providing immediate life-saving assistance to children and women in seven countries following devastating earthquakes, tsunami, typhoons, and flooding while also taking steps to help life return to normal as quickly as possible. Clean water, sanitation and hygiene support, family reunification, child protection, and prevention of malnutrition and communicable diseases are UNICEF's priorities in working with governments and civil society partners. Separate inter-agency appeals have been issued for targeted response in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $460,000 for temporary shelters in Bhutan.
Everyone believes that these efforts will give result soon and Bhutan will succeed in relieving the pain of this disaster.
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Bulgarian