The moderate 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in the state of Sikkim (India) on February 14, 2006 at 06:25:23 a.m. local time. The shaking was felt in the North-Eastern states of India and in the neighbouring countries. However, shaking-related damage was reported only from the East and South districts of Sikkim. Most of the structural damage was observed in and around the state capital Gangtok with the maximum intensity of shaking as VII on MSK scale. The earthquake caused damage to heritage structures as well as modern buildings. Both masonry and reinforced concrete buildings showed poor performance. The damage seen in and around Gangtok was clearly disproportionate to the size of the earthquake. This very clearly establishes the high level of seismic vulnerability of the region. Such disproportionate damage is a direct consequence of poor design and construction practices in an inadequate professional environment that is challenged by the lack of trained human resources in the state.