Panic grips Bhavnagar after quake

Panic grips Bhavnagar after quake
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BHAVNAGAR, SEPT 13: Yet another earthquake hit Bhavnagar city on Tuesday morning. The first tremor woke people up early in the morning at 6.24am. This was followed by 10 more tremors within a span of five hours forcing people to come out of their houses into the streets.

Though no loss of life was reported, houses and open land developed cracks at a couple of places. A couple of `kaccha' even houses collapsed in the city area. Gayatri Nagar, Kayda Bid, Shreenathji Nagar and Bharat Nagar were the worst affected areas in the city.

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel who arrived in the city yesterday evening to address some public meeting also felt the tremors in Hotel Bluehill in the morning. When asked, he said he was awakened by the tremor. The Chief Minister, however, left for Gandhinagar in the evening.

Soon after arriving at Gandhinagar, he called a high-level meeting of officials and promised a sum of Rs 50 lakh as relief operation and handed it over to the district collector.

District collector Kantibhai Patel said ``though the highest tremor recorded is only 3.8 on the Richter Scale this time, the effect was more severe than the recorded tremor of 4.1 on Richter scale last time.''

The epicentre of the earthquake was around Bhavnagar district. However, seismologists in Vadodara, when contacted, informed that they have recorded only three quakes measuring 4.4 on Richter scale at 6.24 am, 3 on Richter scale at 6.30 am and 3.4 at 6.35 am.

Quite natuarally, fear has gripped the entire area. Those living in flats refused to go in and remained on the streets till late in the evening. Schools and most of the business establishments remained closed today. Government and private offices recored poor attendance.

Himanshu Oza, a retired district panchayat officer who lives on Atta Road, said that they felt a severe tremor as glass jars in their kitchen started falling off.

The intensity of the first tremor was low, but it increased over the subsequent tremors. People here fear, that next time round the devastations may be more and they may not be so lucky.

The district collectorate informed that scientists from the Meteorological Department, Delhi were rushing down to Bhavnagar.

Resident Deputy Collector Arvind Katara said a boy was badly injured when he fell down from a railing of his hostel lobby.

State Health Minister Ashok Bhatt also rushed to the spot and held a meeting with the district administration and has asked people to remain on alert.

Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation officials have also begun a survey of the damages. Katara said the administration is keeping a close watch on the situation.