Quake toll touches 11,000

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, JAN. 27. The toll in the earthquake, which rocked Gujarat on the Republic Day, reached a staggering 10,902 today, with another 35,000 injured and about 1.5 lakh people still trapped in debris across Bhuj and other towns in Kutch district. Their fate unknown.

(UNI, in a late-night report, stated that an estimated 16,000 people died and more than 30,000 were injured in the earthquake even as massive rescue and relief operations were under way to cope with the disaster that wiped out villages and rendered lakhs homeless. Official sources in Bhuj, which bore the brunt of the quake, said tonight that the death toll in Kutch district alone could be around 15,000.

The report said the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, who returned from Gujarat late last night, said in New Delhi today that Bhachau, Chapat and Bhuj towns were devastated.)

The border district of Kutch, which bore the brunt of the fury, was almost completely devastated with the old city areas of Bhuj, district headquarters, Anjar, Rapar, and Bhachau totally ruined, while the situation in rural Kutch still could not be ascertained. (According to a PTI report, 1,501 bodies have so far been recovered from the debris of the collapsed houses in Kutch district).

Over 1 lakh still trapped

Considering the situation in the old city areas, still inaccessible with nearly 1.50 lakh people trapped there, official sources did not rule out the possibility of the casualties crossing the one lakh-mark.

The Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai Patel, who along with the BJP president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, and the general secretary, Mr. Narendra Modi, visited Kutch and Morvi town in Rajkot district, said the entire walled city areas of Bhuj with a population of about 75,000 had caved in and debris blocked access from all sides, rendering relief and rescue operations impossible.

The situation was the same in the old city areas of Anjar with a population of over 25,000 people, Bhachau with over 20,000 people and Rapar with about 15,000 people. No relief and rescue operations could still be taken up there.

The Bhuj hospital with over 100 patients, doctors and nurses has been totally destroyed with no information about their fate.

The destruction of the civil hospital in Bhuj also made relief work difficult in the absence of other major medical installations and because of an acute shortage of equipment. Makeshift arrangements were made in the open to provide medical treatment under temporary tents. At the instance of the Chief Minister, the Indian Air Force deputed a special aircraft to rush the emergency cases from Bhuj to the Rajkot and Jamnagar civil hospitals. In addition, 10 operation tables with equipment had been sent to Bhuj from Jamnagar.

The entire Kutch district remained without supply of power and water, and faced an acute shortage of essential supplies, medical aid and other necessities. However, the Surajbari bridge, linking the district with the rest of the world, which developed cracks, was repaired and traffic restored this afternoon to transport relief and rescue equipment.

While the toll in the district alone was put at over 10,000, the number of dead in Ahmedabad, next worst-hit, rose to 380 with over 500 people still feared trapped under the debris of the 150- odd fallen buildings.

The fate of at least 40 more students of the Sacred Flower Higher Secondary School in the Maninagar locality was still not known. The school building collapsed when about 80 students were taking a science practical examination. While about 20 students escaped, jumping from the second floor, rescue workers extricated 20 bodies and the rest were still under the wreckage. The authorities see little chance of their survival.

An official spokesman put at 226 the toll in Rajkot, excluding Morvi town, which alone accounted for over 100 deaths. Jamnagar accounted for 91 deaths, Surendranagar 79, Patan 29, Palanpur 46 and Surat 34. Five to 10 deaths were reported in most other towns and districts. More than 32,000 people were injured in Kutch district alone, while the number of injured in the rest of the State was about 3,000.

Sonia calvacade stoned

The Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, who flew in here today to visit the affected areas, had to face the wrath of the suffering people, even as the relief and rescue operations continued at a very slow pace due to shortage of both manpower and equipment. In the Paldi locality, the security forces had to resort to a lathicharge when some persons began pelting stones at Ms. Gandhi's cavalcade protesting that the authorities had failed to rise to the occasion and mitigate their sufferings.

Shortage of essential equipment including gas-cutters, and even torches badly hampered the rescue work, putting the firebrigade personnel, assisted by the Rapid Action Force, home guards and other para-military forces, at a great disadvantage.

Ahmedabad city and surrounding areas continued to experience mild tremors, making restoration work difficult. An official spokesman said the city suffered 83 mild tremors yesterday and another 188 since this morning. Most people spent almost the whole of last night outside their houses despite the temperature dipping to 11 degree Celsius. Several residents of high-rise buildings, considered the most vulnerable to the after-shocks, deserted their houses to stay with friends or relatives in low-rise apartments. The police strengthened the security measures to prevent anti-social elements taking advantage of this situation, the Minister of State for Home, Mr. Haren Pandya, said.

PM, Advani for Gujarat tomorrow

UNI, PTI report from New Delhi:

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, would tour the quake-hit areas on Monday to assess the situation, official sources said today.

Meanwhile, the Government announced full excise duty exemption for goods donated or purchased with cash donations for relief and rehabilitation. Exemption from customs duty was also provided for imported goods intended for donation, an official statement said.

A notification containing the procedures required for seeking these exemptions was also issued.

Wall collapses, 190 prisoners flee

While yesterday's earthquake in Gujarat claimed thousands of lives, it also meant freedom for about 190 prisoners who escaped taking advantage of a wall collapse in their jail in Bhuj.

The Home Minister, Mr. Haren Pandya, today said that of those who escaped, about 50 were hardcore criminals. There were 268 prisoners lodged in the jail.

(Caption: A boy tries to pull out the body of his mother from underneath their collapsed house in Bhuj on Saturday.- Reuters)

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