As rescue teams continued their march to the inaccessible quake-hit areas of North Sikkim, the death toll in the ravaged Himalayan state on Friday reached 75, with the recovery of one more body.
There is a possibility of the toll rising further as teams reach areas hitherto inaccessible due to inclement weather and difficult terrain. 57 people have died in the North District so far, while the death count in East [13], South (1) and West Sikkim (4) has remained stationary.
The Chief Secretary Mr Karma Gyatso told reporters that the Chief Minister Mr Pawan Kumar Chamling has convened a high-level meeting of top officials of the state involved in day-to-day relief operations. He said more than 100 relief camps have been set up across the state.
Meanwhile, two more Pawan Hans helicopters have been put into service to assist with the relief operation, taking their total number to seven, he said adding the aircraft make nine sorties each to North Sikkim everyday.