1,500 Killed in Indian Earthquake

N E W   D E L H I, India, Jan. 26, 2001 -- Thousands of people were feared dead after a temblor, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rocked western India, toppling high-rise buildings, ravaging communication lines and leaving untold numbers unaccounted for.

The Press Trust of India has put the death toll at 1,500 but Indian authorities fear at least another thousand are trapped under collapsed buildings. Earthquake blasts western India

There were heartbreaking scenes across western India today as rescuers raced to rescue victims trapped under debris while relatives and residents camped on the streets in the cold winter night.

In the hardest hit cities of Bhuj and Ahmedabad, people spilled onto the streets, huddling around campfires as relatives of the deceased mourned the loss of loved ones through the night.

The death toll was higher than it might have been because most people were at home today celebrating the country's Republic Day holiday when the quake hit.

"It was like sitting in a boat that was caught in a storm. Everything was shaking," Pankaj Darji of Ahmedabad told Reuters.

Major Cracks

At Bhuj, the epicenter of the quake, 90 percent of the structures developed major cracks while 10 percent were leveled, Indian Information Minister Pramod Mahajan said.

Although the town of Bhuj was the epicenter of the quake, the casualty figures were not as high as in the neighboring industrial city of Ahmedabad, where the death toll climbed to more than 250.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared a state of emergency as authorities wrestled with bringing urgent assistance to the region.

Indian air force planes full of medical and essential supplies were flying down to the troubled spots from the capital, New Delhi, as the army was put on emergency alert.

More than 10 air force personnel were killed when an air force base was damaged in Bhuj.

Angry Residents

By evening, hospitals in Ahmedabad were crammed with injured victims.

Many residents complained of delays in the rescue operations. "I was hurt during the quake but I have not received any treatment so far," said a resident of Ahmedabad. "The weather is bad but we have no choice but to fend for ourselves — and there are many like us."

Many families slept outside for fear of aftershocks.

Shravan Kumar of India's Meteorological Department warned of the possibility of aftershocks. "The kind of seismic activity around the area makes it likely that the areas around [the western Indian town of] Bhuj could feel the effect of aftershocks," he said. "If the aftershocks are too strong, even areas farther down could feel tremors."

As night fell over Ahmedabad, mobile vans commissioned by the Gujarat state government made slow progress through the streets warning residents about the likelihood of aftershocks.

The old quarter of the industrial city of Ahmedabad has many old buildings, a number of which were tilting at precarious angles while still hinged to the ground floors. But some residents of ground floor apartments returned to their dwellings despite being warned not to.

Caught While on Holiday

Scenes from the region were chaotic as people ran from building to building searching for friends and family. One man whose wife was killed refused to visit the local hospital to formally identify her because he had seven family members still unaccounted for.

The Republic Day holiday seemed to have caused delays in responding the quake. People were seen using bare hands to scratch out the rubble as bulldozers hadn't yet arrived at the site of several building collapses.

Local media reports said rescuers in Bhuj were combing through debris to rescue 30 schoolchildren who were on a school excursion from the southern Indian city of Bangalore.

In the neighboring state of Rajasthan, 20 students were celebrating Republic Day when the roof of the building they were in caved in. Rescuers said they were still trapped in the debris.

In Bombay, the industrial hub of India, strong tremors were felt and a few water tanks on top of buildings sustained cracks and toppled into the streets. There were no reports of injuries.

A report published by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research early last year warned of quakes in the region as Bombay and Ahmedabad are located on a geological fault line.

Bush Offers Condolences

Vajpayee declared a state of emergency as his Cabinet wrestled with bringing urgent assistance to the region. Damage to a major communications grid has added to the immediate difficulties of coordinating rescue efforts.

In Washington today, President Bush offered his condolences to the victims of the quake. "I am saddened by the news of the earthquake," he said. "I send my condolences and those of the American people to the families of the many victims in the cities and villages of Gujarat and elsewhere," he said. Reiterating that "earthquakes know no political boundaries," Bush extended his condolences to Pakistan as well.

Putting aside a history of acrimony between his country and India over the disputed Kashmir valley, Pakistan military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf today offered his condolences to Vajpayee in a written statement. "I have been saddened at the tragic loss of life and property in the earthquake which hit large parts of India today," the message said. "The government and people of Pakistan share the grief of the bereaved families."

Today's temblor was so strong, it was felt in neighboring Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh as well. At least four people were killed when houses in Pakistan collapsed.

The earthquake appeared to be larger than the one that hit Turkey in 1999 and killed 18,000 people, Bill Smith of the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado told Good Morning America.

Condolences and offers for help from various world leaders were also pouring in.

On June 16, 1819, another quake in the same region of India killed about 2,000 people.

ABCNEWS.com's Leela Jacinto, ABCNEWS' Saitish Jacob in New Dehli, ABCNEWS Radio and Reuters contributed to this report