Three persons were killed and at least 69, including 43 school children, were injured while several buildings developed cracks in West Bengal after a high intensity earthquake rocked several parts of the country and Nepal today.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the “extensive damage” caused by the earthquake.

The chief minister who chaired a high-level meeting to take stock of the situation at Nabanna, the state secretariat, told reporters that three persons lost their lives in the earthquake in north Bengal.

A person identified as M Rai was killed in Jalpaiguri, while another Rukban Khatun was killed in Naxalbari in Darjeeling district. The third person, a construction worker was killed in Siliguri.

State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, chief secretary, home secretary, director general of police and secretary to the disaster management department were present at the high-level meeting as well as other top officials.

Banerjee, who is monitoring the situation arising out of the quake, said it would take sometime to get the entire picture of the damage wrecked by it specially from the interior areas of Darjeeling district which suffered extensive damage.

“I will send a report to the Prime Minister,” she said.

The chief minister said she would go to north Bengal tomorrow to monitor the situation from Siliguri.

A crisis-management group has been formed and all district magistrates in the state have been alerted. A control room has also been opened, she said.

S Suresh, principal secretary to the disaster management department, is leaving for north Bengal, she added.

Many buildings were damaged and cracks appeared on flyovers, the chief minister said, adding that a survey of all government and private buildings is being conducted.

Meanwhile, official sources said at least 69 people were injured in three places of Malda district when students of two schools and people inside a bank tried to rush out.

Altogether 33 students were injured at BSB High School at Bhado when all of them tried to rush out of the school following the quake, Chanchol sub divisional officer Ponnam Balam S, said.

30 of them were admitted to Ratua hospital and the rest were taken to Malda Medical College Hospital, the SDO said.

In a similar incident, 10 students, including three girls, were injured at Naimouja High School at Sujapur, Kaliachak II BDO Pema Chuki Thsering said.

Headmaster of the school, who fell sick after hearing the news, had to be hospitalised along with the students.

A portion of the school’s staircase collapsed in the incident, Thsering said.

While 25 people were injured at Bangitola in Malda district when panic-stricken people ran towards the door of a nationalised bank and fell down, officials said.

Twelve of them were hospitalised, the officials said, adding that the injured included both customers and bank employees.

Window panes of the bank were shattered because of the earthquake.

Initial reports had earlier said the school children were injured because of the roof collapse.

Cracks developed in several buildings of Siliguri in Darjeeling district, Telipara in Jalpaiguri district and various places of Malda due to the quake, officials said.

The water of the river Korola, passing through Jalpaiguri town, rose in waves to a considerable height during the quake.

The tremor also shook Kolkata where hundreds of panic-stricken people ran out of their homes and offices and assembled on the streets.

“My prayers with the people of Nepal and across India after the massive earthquake. Hope everyone is safe. Stay calm,” she tweeted.

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