India quake likely the fault of two seismic events

[nadinbrzezinski]

India's earthquake Sept. 18 was likely the result of two seismic events striking at nearly the same time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The magnitude 6.9 quake killed at least 55 people in northeastern India, Nepal and Tibet, reported the Associated Press. The quake rumbled the mountainous region of the Indian town of Mangan, in the northeast Indian province of Sikkim, and near the Nepalese border.The epicenter was 42 miles northwest of Gangtok, India. Tremors from India's big earthquake were felt as far away as Bangladesh and New Delhi.

The quake came at the end of the monsoon season, and rain-soaked hills spawned landslides that caused much of the devastation, according to the American Geophysical Union's Landslide Blog. Heavy rainfall and more aftershocks in the coming days could complicate recovery efforts.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44587764/ns/technology_and_science-science/