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Desperate Search For Survivors As Indian Quake Toll Mounts To 20,000
AHMEDABAD, India, Jan 28 (News Agencies) - Indian troops and international relief teams joined grieving relatives Sunday in an increasingly fruitless search for survivors of an earthquake in which more than 20,000 were feared dead.
Rescuers dug frantically through the twisted rubble of homes and buildings here and in other towns in Gujarat state but hopes began to dim for thousands still missing more than two days after the worst quake to hit India in 50 years.
The private Star TV network quoted Defense Minister George Fernandes as saying the death toll was likely to reach "20,000, probably more."
The federal government put the number of bodies recovered so far at 6,072, with more than 14,000 injured.
Thousands of army troops, aircraft and naval ships have been deployed to help victims of the earthquake in Gujarat in an unprecedented rescue effort undertaken by the Indian armed forces, officials said.
"It is the biggest-ever rescue operation simply because this is the biggest-ever disaster," said defense ministry spokesman S.K. Bhatnagar.
Relief operations were being carried out by 4,700 troops, 40 military aircraft and several naval ships. Air force helicopters have flown to Gujarat carrying blankets, food and other supplies.
Transport planes were carrying generator sets and heavy equipment such as giant cranes and other machinery to sift through debris.
Indian soldiers have been putting up tents and other accommodation for the tens of thousands of people in Gujarat left homeless by Friday's quake.
Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said India had sought a $1.5 billion loan from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to help recover from the quake.
"The damage is going to be enormous. I have instructed my officers in Washington to approach the World Bank for one billion dollars and in Manila the Asian Development Bank for $500 million as assistance for reconstruction," Sinha said.
In an appeal to the nation, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asked for public donations.
"We cannot leave our brothers and sisters to the mercy of fate or the cruelty of vagaries of nature," Vajpayee said.
In Gujarat, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel warned residents Sunday to be ready for further strong tremors and said there were fears of a potential epidemic in the ravaged town of Bhuj, near the epicenter of the quake.
Patel told reporters a fresh quake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale had been recorded Sunday morning along with dozens of aftershocks.
"The next 48 hours will be very critical and crucial for Ahmedabad," a city of 3.6 million which is Gujarat's industrial center and trading hub, he said.
Patel said there were fears of an outbreak of disease because of water contamination and rotting animal carcasses. "The four hospitals in Bhuj have vanished from the face of the earth with their entire staff," he said.
Some estimates have put the death toll in Bhuj, a town of some 150,000, at up to 6,000, in the quake measuring up to 7.9 on the Richter scale.
In one of the worst tragedies, some 400 schoolchildren between five and 10 years old and 50 teachers were feared dead in Anjar, a town near Bhuj. They were crushed by falling buildings while marching in a Republic Day parade in a narrow alley.
In Ahmedabad, there was some positive news when a Swiss team with sniffer dogs managed to rescue two people - a 35-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy - from an apartment block some 43 hours after the quake.
"If anyone is trapped in an air pocket, close to a kitchen or toilet or any other water source, then they can survive up to a week," said the team's deputy leader Hans Peter Sutter. "If not, then there is little hope after three days."
Rescue teams from Turkey and Russia have also arrived in Gujarat, with others from Britain, Italy and France expected later in the day.
China announced plans to send seismological experts while Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Norway and other countries pledged assistance.
Bhuj and most of the surrounding Kutch region was without electricity and water and facing a critical lack of medical supplies.
"Time is running out for the hundreds of people still trapped," said Bhuj deputy administrator M.K. Gadhoi. "The cries for help are getting weaker and fewer. We are helpless."
Funeral pyres have been burning non-stop in Bhuj and other towns.
Gujarat, which is in an earthquake-prone zone, has a population of around 42 million and is one of India's most prosperous and industrialized states.
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