A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Gujurat, India at 8:46 am. Friday January 26, 2001 resulting in about 20,000 persons killed. Over 160,000 were injured and 600,000 were left homeless. First estimates reported 1,400 fatalities in the town of Bhuj, population 150,000, which was closest to the epicenter. "The most powerful earthquake to strike India in a half century rocked the subcontinent Friday...leaving desperate survivors clawing through the rubble of collapsed buildings in search of loved ones," reported the Associated Press.
Communication, Infrastructure Severed
Rail lines, roads, gas pipelines, power supplies and communication was severed in the devastation caused by the earthquake. Phone lines were severed, and mobile phones were not reliable. Villages were leveled. 50 high rise buildings just collapsed in Gujarat's commercial city of Ahmadabad, population 4.5 million.
Damage to hospital buildings forced doctors to provide health care to the injured in makeshift areas amidst the devastation. Friday evening about 1,000 injured victims slept outside the main hospital in the town of Bhuj. On the porch of the local hospital corpses were literally piled up. People died of their injuries awaiting treatment.
The army began sifting through the rubble with shovels, and pickaxes until machinery arrived to move huge concrete slabs. By Saturday, bulldozers, and cranes arrived to be used in the rescue effort to free trapped and injured victims buried beneath the rubble.
Mass Panic and Exodus Ensues
Haren Panya, Gujarat's home minister was quoted in the Bangor Daily News: "we have asked people to move out of old buildings...There is great panic among the people and they have spilled out onto the streets." Night temperatures hovered around 55 °F (13 °C) leaving people camping in the open air. There was no clean water, food, electricity, or fuel.
Following the earthquake a huge exodus of millions of people occurred. "This is an emergency. We are facing a riotous crowd. A fear psychosis is developing in the city. People have fled their homes and are taking refuge in open fields," said Rajesh Bhat the fire chief, to Bangor Daily News.
Earthquake felt in Nepal, New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta
The quake was felt in Nepal located about 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) from the earthquake's epicenter. The New York Times reported the swaying of high-rise buildings in New Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta located thousands of miles away from Gujarat. Within the first ten hours, another 83 aftershocks tore through the area. Bangladesh also felt the tremors of the aftershocks causing residents to rush into the streets in mass panic.
On Monday four days after the earth quake struck, four people were found alive. Miraculously these included two infants, a seven month old girl and an eight month old little boy.
Unusual Site for Earthquake
The majority of earthquakes affecting this area of India occur along the tectonic boundary between Asia and India located about 400 kilometers (250 mi) to the northwest of Gujarat. This earthquake was particularly devastating for this region with its soft sediments around the Indus river delta which allowed the ground to shake from the earthquake tremors more violently.
"We were geared up for natural calamities like cyclones, floods, and drought, but never for an earthquake, said P.N. Roychoudhury, a senior government official in a report by the Victoria Advocate.
Deadly Earthquake
This earthquake in 2001 caused the largest loss of life in India up to that time; since then there have been two deadlier earthquakes. The deadliest earthquake which affected India occurred December 26, 2004 creating the huge Indonesian tsunami and a loss of life of over 230,000. At a magnitude of 9.1 the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake is rated as the third largest earthquake in recorded history. This was followed by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 affecting Kashmir, India.
Prior to the Gujurat earthquake, the last deadly earthquake on the India subcontinent hit Assam state in 1950 causing 1, 538 casualties. In comparison, the 2010 Haiti earthquake at magnitude 7.0 caused a loss of life estimated between 100,000 and somewhere over 200,000.
Sources
Carrington, Damian (26 January 2001). "Indian earthquake". News Scientist. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
Dugger, Celia W. (January 31, 2001). "Rescuers Find Handful of Survivors of Indian Earthquake". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
George, Nirmala (January 26, 2001). "7.9 Earthquake Kills Thousands in India. Tremors shake north, west; tremblor also felt in Nepal". The Associated Press. Bangor Daily News.Retrieved 2011-01-23.
Harley, Jonathan (31 January , 2001). "Indian earthquake death toll may exceed 100,000". ABC news. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
"India Learns Lesson from Quakes" (Digitized online by Google news). The Victoria Advocate. March 6, 2001. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
"January 21-27; Earthquake Strikes India, Killing Thousands". New York Times. January 28, 2001.Retrieved 2011-01-23.
"Quake toll 'may be 100,000'". BBC News. January 30, 2001. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
