The death toll in last evening's powerful earthquake rose to 44 with 18 people being killed in Sikkim, eight in Bihar, four in West Bengal, and seven each in Nepal and Tibet even as rescue and relief operations were today stepped up in the affected areas. Over a hundred people have been injured in the 6.8 magnitude quake.The North Sikkim district accounts for the maximum, ten deaths followed by East Sikkim district with six deaths. South and West Sikkim districts reported one death each. More than fifty persons have been injured who have been admitted to various hospitals. Relief and rescue work is going on.AIR Gangtok correspondent reports that the four hundred personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, dispatched from Delhi and Kolkata, to Sikkim are being delayed as the National Highway -31A remains blocked at many places due to landslides and they are taking a longer route. Thousands of houses have been damaged in all the four districts with the South district alone accounting for damage to more than one thousand buildings. Almost all the district headquarters and important town of the State remain cut off from each other due to road blockades at many places. Chief Minister Mr.Pawan Chamling chaired a high level meeting and took stock of the situation in capital Gangtok.