25,000 Feared dead in bhuj, aftershocks
continue to hit

Devastation, death and despair is writ all over Bhuj and adjoining areas as the death toll continues to rise. Bhuj again experienced tremors at 6.30 am on Sunday.

With shortage of manpower and rescue teams considering the intense magnitude of the problem/calamity, corpses are yet to be recovered from the heaps of debris across Bhuj.

Teams are working round-the-clock at ‘Vangi Chateri’ and ‘Lohana Smashan’ crematorium even as the entire town is out in the open to stay away from possible house collapse.

Although the administration in unable to give ‘correct’ estimate of the death toll, even the most conservative of estimates put the figure around more than 25,000 in the district.

With all the houses having been damaged, roads, lanes, open grounds and fields are filled with people. The old city is the worst affected. Anjar and Bhachau towns have been totally razed to ground.

Under the debris of nine-storied Gokul apartment, near the collector’s office, around 45 families are believed to be buried alive. Mahesh Sukhadia a resident of the area told the Asian Age that since January 26 only 25-odd bodies have been recovered.

Mangalam Maruti apartment, Khatri chaklo, Sahejwara Matam, Soniwad, Paburai falia, Sadpad gali, Nagar chakla and Panchmukhi Hanuman sheri are the worst affected.

The collectorate, district panchayat office, guest house and district information office are among other government buildings that have been reduced to dilapidated conditions.

The exact damage to the air base, air crafts and loss of lives of Air Force personnel is not known immediately.
Industries minister Suresh Mehta and former health minister Ashok Bhatt are overseeing rescue operations.
Hayley Simmons, Hennes Winzeler and two others from Switzerland, who are stranded in the place feel lucky to have survived the quake. They were on a tour to India. Mr Bhatt said that at least 15,000 people were being treated for injuries.

"This also included operations." He claimed that the debris would be removed in a short period.

Republished from Asian age