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General arrives in Bhuj to supervise 'quake relief

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the army's Southern Command has stationed himself at Bhuj to oversee rescue and relief operations in the area, worst affected by Friday's earthquake.

Bhuj has turned into a ghost town with several hundred deaths reported and severe damage to property.

Lieutenant General N C Vij arrived late on Friday night to supervise the operation, which is focussed mostly on Bhuj where the damage is expected to cross all speculation. According to army officials in New Delhi, the "death toll could be over 6,000 in Bhuj and surrounding areas."

The army has moved additional troops to Bhuj, where it now has 3,500 soldiers.

"Additional surgical and medical teams with mobile operation theatre facilities, engineering equipment that includes heavy duty generators, bulldozers, trench digging and lifting equipment have also reached Bhuj," an army spokesman said.

"Four surgical teams from Pune, one field ambulance from Bhatinda and another field ambulance diverted from the exercises are providing medical, lifesaving and surgical cover to the victims of the earthquake at Bhuj," an army official told rediff.com The army's medical teams include lady doctors and military nursing officers.

The army last evening called off its winter exercise, asking all participating battalions to rush for the relief and rescue operation.

At Ahmedabad about 1,200 army personnel are involved in the operation. More troops are being moved in, officials said.

The army has made special arrangments at all military hospitals in Gujarat to treat victims of the earthquake. At the Bhuj military hospital, the only hospital in town that is operational, there are 90 beds, "but hundreds of people are staying in the open awaiting medical attention," a senior army officer said. He added that the army is "trying to cope up with the rush, as the entire town has only this hospital for medical care. We are airlifting some of the injured to Jamnagar."

At Ahmedabad, the 250 bed military hospital has been thrown open to the public.

The army moved 600 tents, 1,000 tarpaulins, and 2,000 blankets from the military exercise area for the relief victims.

The army has established a V-SAT link between New Delhi and Ahmedabad. In addition, army engineers are also providing one Inmarsat and two high frequency communication attachments.

The army's relief operation is being coordinated by a disaster management control centre at the Directorate General of Military Operations.

The Complete Coverage

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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