NEW DELHI - Indian border troops have rescued at least 300 local people and 23 tourists from high danger places after a powerful earthquake hit the northeast Indian state of Sikkim Sunday, said local media on Monday.

The Indian army and paramilitary border troops started carrying out rescue and relief operations amid rains and bad road conditions caused by landslides after the quake.

About 50 army columns in small teams were deployed across Sikkim, and Siliguri and Binaguri in West Bengal, for rescue operations on a war footing, said the Indo-Asian News Service.

Local TV footage showed soldiers trying to clear roads blocked by mud from landslides from hills amid rains.

The columns comprised medical teams with first aid, engineer detachments and relief and rescue units.

About 10 army combat engineer columns were rushed with equipment for opening major roadblocks on Siliguri-Gangtok, as the state has been cut off from the rest of the country with the national highway 31-A blocked in at least eight places following heavy mudslides, according to G. Anandan, district magistrate, Sikkim East.

More than 20 people were confirmed killed after the 6.8 magnitude quake hit Sikkim Sunday afternoon.