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10,000 missing in Bhuj

Nearly 8,000 to 10,000 people are reportedly missing in Bhuj district which bore the brunt of Friday's earthquake.

Sukhapar village, near Anjar, where the epicentre of the earthquake is located, has completely vanished and not a single person is reported to be alive.

There is no electricity in Bhuj and all phone lines are out of gear. Even the communication systems of the police and fire brigade are out of order.

Rescue workers are facing difficulty extricating bodies and survivors from the debris.

The general hospital in Bhuj is completely destroyed and 400 people, including doctors, nurses and other medical staff, are feared buried in the debris.

The army has cordoned off the area and is trying its best to restore normalcy.

The Jubilee ground of Bhuj has become a massive casualty ward where almost 1000 people are being treated.

Dr Dyaneshwar Rao, vice president of the Indian Medical Association, is leading a team of doctors from all over India. They are conducting operations using tents as make-shift Operation Theatres.

Dr Rao has ordered people to get necessary medicines from the damaged chemist shops.

Bhuj Fort lies in ruins. The tomb of one of the kings of Bhuj, where Bollywood blockbuster Hum Dil De Chuke Hai Sanam was shot, is completely destroyed. However, eyewitnesses say the famous Shish Mahal of Bhuj has survived with some damages.

Roads leading to Bhuj are cracked and hence the movement of traffic is slow. But many people from other parts of Gujarat are voluntarily travelling to Bhuj to help the quake-affected.

"First time in my life, I have seen so much brotherhood," said Daksh Pandhi a resident of Bhuj. "People who are taking help from others also want to give something in return," he added.

"Nobody has a place to stay and everybody is sleeping in the open," said a resident of Bhuj. Even the journalists who have landed in Bhuj are sleeping in the open.

Those owning cars are a little better off against the cold night air.

Army tankers are supplying water to the residents.

Residents are sleeping in open spaces fearing further quakes.

Bharatiben Pandhi (51) said, "I don't want to enter my house as I feel it is still shaking like a fast moving train."

Dhawal Keshvani who ran out of his second floor flat said, "My biggest worry is where so many people will find accommodation?"

The Prime Minister, on Saturday evening, said that damaged buildings will be reconstructed.

Not a single multi-storeyed building has withstood the quake and all buildings with more than three floors have been razed to the ground.

A fear psychosis has struck the residents. Children are the worst affected, having seen their parents buried in front of their eyes.

There is a growing resentment against the builders for having cheated people by not making buildings earthquake resistant despite knowing that Bhuj has a history of being hit by earthquakes.

Shivnagari township, located near Bhuj airport, has been completely destroyed and one of the tallest buildings in the town, the eight-floor Sahajana Tower, has split into two.

Apparently, the building figures in Lagaan, Aamir Khan's forthcoming film.

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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