36 killed as quake hits vast Himalayan region

An earthquake rocked a vast swathe of northeastern India and Himalayan states, triggering power cuts and panic as at least 36 people died including in Tibet and at Britain's embassy in Nepal.

Three people were killed when Sunday's 6.9-magnitude earthquake collapsed a wall at the British mission in Kathmandu, and officials in affected countries warned that the death toll could rise as reports filter in from remote areas.

Tremors were felt more than 1,000 kilometres away in New Delhi to the west, and in Bangladesh to the east.

At least 60 people were injured by mudslides, falling debris and collapsing buildings in Gangtok, the capital of India's Himalayan state of Sikkim.

"There's a good chance the death toll could rise as rescue teams begin to access the more remote areas near the epicentre," G. Anandan, chief of the central emergency control room in Gangtok.

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