Earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale hit mountainous Sikkim at 6.10 pm on Sunday. Reports say nine have died in Sikkim, including two armymen, two have died in Bihar, three in West Bengal and five have died in Nepal .The quake shook various parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and North India. The epicentre of the quake was 68 km northwest of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, who reportedly described the damage as serious. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police immediately launched search and rescue operations in Pegong area of north Sikkim, badly affected by the quake.