The Sunday evening earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale ended within minutes, but the aftershocks were felt throughout Monday in Sikkim and Darjeeling rising the death toll in India, Nepal and Tibet to 72.

The toll in north Sikkim, the epicentre of the quake, rose to 41 on Monday and many more were feared dead under the debris of buildings and houses.
Nine deaths were reported from West Bengal and seven each from Bihar, Nepal and Tibet, bringing the toll outside Sikkim to 30 as rescue teams battled landslides and torrential rains to help the victims. Panic returned to Gangtok as the sun set on Monday, with thousands of people coming out of their houses with essential belongings and heading for MG Marg, the heart of the city. They then planned to reach Paljor stadium to spend the night, fearing aftershocks.

There were reports of several landslides on National Highway 31A, the only road connecting Sikkim with the rest of the country. However, the Border Roads Organisation managed to open the highway for one-way traffic in the evening. Four hundred members of the National Disaster Relief Force and 20 doctors were stuck in Bagdogra because of bad weather and were expected to reach Gangtok on Monday night.