Search the Internet          Tips

Old Bhuj, Anjaar cordoned off;
toll 14,240

As many as 150 of the 492 villages were 'very seriously hit' in Kutch district which has a total of 630 villages, Agriculture Secretary Bhaskar Baruah told reporters in New Delhi after the Crisis Management Group reviewed the quake situation.

The state government has informed the Centre that the official death toll is 14,240 while the number of injured has crossed 62,000.

However, there is no record so far of the number of people missing or buried under the debris.

Baruah said since the old Bhuj city had several jewellery shops, army had cordoned off the area to prevent looting. "Similar was the case with Anjaar town," he said.

A 320-bed hospital has been made operational by the International Red Cross in Bhuj with equipment and medical personnel.

As many 58 flights from foreign countries have landed with relief material and personnel, Baruah said.

While 10,650 surgeries have been performed after the earthquake, there have been 1600 amputations and another 1600 major surgeries. Nearly 1900 medical personnel have fanned out in the state while a team of psychiatrists has been lined up for trauma treatment, Baruah said.

There have been no reports of spread of epidemics in the state, he said.

Referring to the power situation, he said supply has been restored in almost all vital facilities while in Bhuj and Anjaar it has been restored partially.

GI sheets and plastic sheets have reached the affected areas by land and air while a special train has left Delhi carrying GI sheets and earth-moving equipment.

The telecommunication services at Bhuj, Anjaar and Gandhidham are now available while mobile communication has also been partially restored.

Surajbari bridge linking Bhuj has been repaired and was now ready to carry heavy load transport at regulated speed.

Asked why foreign teams were leaving Gujarat, Baruah said, "They have not told us. The presumption is that they feel their work is over."

At least 30 teams of state government employees have fanned out to interior areas to assess the damage and the toll and co-ordinate rescue and relief operations, he said.

The Indian Airforce has carried out 366 sorties, including those by IL-76, AN-32 aircraft and Dorniers, he said. The army has moved in over 22,500 troops for the operations, especially in the most-affected areas of Bhuj and Kutch as seven regiments of engineers, mobile hospitals and surgical teams have started providing succour to the victims.

Forty-five battalions of police personnel who were deployed for security are now also involved in relief work.

As many as 1500 cadets of the NCC are also assisting in the operations and two naval ships at Kandla Port have been converted into makeshift hospitals.

PTI

The Complete Coverage | List of earthquake sites

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report