A magnitude 6.9 quake struck the small mountainous state of Sikkim in India at 18:10 (12:40 GMT) on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey, and was followed by two strong aftershocks.

Initial reports put the death toll in Sikkim at around 50 but Army rescue units have now uncovered 130 dead and the death toll continues to rapidly mount upwards:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 059269.cms

12 people were also reported killed by the quake in the in the Indian state of West Bengal and 6 people have so far been reported killed in the Indian state of Bihar.

Just over the border in Tibet's Yadong County, just 40km (25 miles) from Sikkim, the earthquake caused hundreds of landslides, disrupting traffic, telecommunications, power and water supplies.

China's official Xinhua news agency said that 7 people had died and 24 others had been injured in Tibet. Landslides have also disrupted power and water supplies.

Nepal's government said 11 people had died, including two men and a child who were killed when a wall of the British embassy collapsed in the capital, Kathmandu.

Source:
BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14982155

India Today: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sikk ... 51950.html

USGS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/ ... es_all.php

The event chart has the Uranus-Pluto square on the ASC/MC angles and Mars in fall in the last degree of Cancer. Venus is forming an applying square to Pluto and the Moon (Lord 4) is sextile Uranus and trine Venus.

The Moon was just 1 1/2 days from was reaching its lowest declination at midday on Sunday. It crossed the celestial equator from north at 4.46am today (September 20th 2011). The Moon reached its apogee on September 15 at 6:24AM UT.

Mark