As many as 50 people have been killed in yesterday's earthquake in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said and directed government officials to carry out relief work for the affected on a war footing.
Addressing a press conference after presiding over a review meeting with secretary-level officials at the state secretariat today, he said as per the latest figures available, as many as 50 people have been killed in the powerful quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale yesterday.
Mr Kumar said one person was killed in a quake-related incident in Samastipur district.
Relief work will also be carried out simultaneously for all those affected by unseasonal rains in February and March this year, cyclonic storm in Purnia and other districts earlier this month, besides the earthquake, he said.
He said an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh has been paid to the kin of all those people killed in the earthquake.
Referring to an aftershock which was felt this afternoon, measuring 6.7 on the Richter Scale, he urged people to remain vigilant and extend cooperation among themselves to allay fears arising out of frequent aftershocks which have been rocking Bihar since yesterday.
The damage, if any, caused by the aftershock, was being assessed, Mr Kumar said.
Mr Kumar said he had visited public places in the state capital last night with a specific purpose to reassure people in the aftermath of the tremors and said the state government was doing all it can to mitigate the situation.
He said he has further asked the officials to carry out patrolling at public places to restore confidence among the people.
The Chief Minister also announced closure of all schools for two days from tomorrow as a precautionary measure.
All government and public schools in the state will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday for which necessary instructions has been issued, he said.
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