Sinking land forces hundreds to leave Indian town

Authorities in an Indian Himalayan town have stopped construction activities and started moving hundreds of people to temporary shelters after a temple collapsed and cracks appeared in over 600 houses because of sinking of land, officials said Saturday.

No injury was reported in the temple collapse late Friday and those living nearby had vacated the area a day earlier. A district administrator said more than 60 families have been moved to government relief camps. The number is likely to go up to 600 families, media reports said. The chief minister of Uttarakhand state was visiting the area and discussing evacuation plans for the local residents.