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Defence Minister Estimates 100,000 Deaths

Defence Minister George Fernandes on Tuesday apprehended that the death toll in the earthquake that devastated Gujarat could be as high as a staggering 100,000.

Fernandes, who visited the worst affected areas including Bhuj, Anjaar, Rapar and Ahmedabad, told PTI in New Delhi, "If my worst fears come true, the death toll could be in six figures." Fernandes said the old city of Bhuj has been totally ravaged and "we don't know how many people are lying under the debris." Bhuj, which has a population of 150,000, has been totally ravaged and is non-existent, he said.

Anjaar, the second most populous town with a population of 80,000, was under debris except for some new buildings which are outside the township.

"People there are in an ugly mood, complaining that nothing by way of relief has come to them. Their assessment was minus a few thousands who are injured, the rest of the people were under the debris," he said.

The minister said in Bachchau, which has a smaller population of 40,000, the situation was no different.

He said the situation in other badly affected areas of Rapar town in Kutch region, where already 370 deaths have been reported, and from nearby smaller villages, the casualty figures were going up.

Fernandes said the commercial city of Ahmedabad was also in a bad shape where bodies were still trapped in many buildings.

Fernandes said alongside Anjaar, there are a number of villages like Lakdia, Hadoi, Vandiah, Somakali and Wondh which have been flattened.

The same is the situation in the villages surrounding the satellite town of Bachchau, which has been badly affected.

"Looking at the overall situation, if the picture is the same as one had witnessed in Bhuj, Rapar, Anjaar and Bachchau, then the casualties could be in six figures," he said.

He said it was now five days since the disaster and it was also winter, and it would only be a miracle if survivors could still be pulled out.

Fernandes, who also visited Morbi, Rajkot and nearby villages and flew over some of the areas like Jamnagar and Jodiah, said some of these places have been completely demolished by the quake.

He said while rehabilitation of the people affected by the quake would take a long time, the immediate need now was tents to provide shelter to the homeless.

Fernandes said even people whose houses have not been affected, were now living in the open and were not entering their homes for fear of more quakes.

So there was an immediate need for tents to house all these people, he said.

Fernandes said another important thing was that all these people had been deprived of their belongings except the clothes they were wearing at the time of the quake.

"They need succour in every sense. There is need for common kitchens, plates, tumblers, blankets and other daily necessities," he said.

Thereafter, he said, many of them also need treatment for which medicines and medical equipment were necessary.

Fernandes said Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel talked to him earlier on Monday and said there was need for smaller bulldozers and cranes to work effectively in narrow lanes of the areas worst affected by the quake.

He said permanent rehabilitation would take a very long time.

PTI

The Complete Coverage

OTHER SITES WITH INFORMATION
ON THE GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE:
panjokutch.com
kutchinfo.com
ahmedabad.com

EXTERNAL LINKS
The RD Killer Quake of Jan 26, 2001: Technical details
All about earthquakes in India and their impact
India Meteorological Department's earthquake reports
Disaster relief set-up in India
Major earthquakes across the world in recent times
A post-quake volunteer's unusual tryst with the departed
Earthquake News: Web site offering comprehensive news, information and features
Earthquake site map
USGS: Earthquake Hazards Program

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