Epidemic fear in cyclone-hit India

Epidemic fear in cyclone-hit India

AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters): India's cyclone-ravaged Gujarat state faced the threat of an epidemic yesterday as authorities tried to restore infrastructure damaged by sledgehammer winds.

The death toll in the cyclone that hit the Arabian Sea coast last Tuesday mounted to 942, all but 11 in Gujarat, as officials sent out medical help to cure and prevent outbreaks of disease following the disaster.

As many as 144 people were still missing in the port city of Kandla, from where 100 more deaths were reported by search and rescue personnel.

Officials say the final death count could be more than 1,000. The calamity struck in the form of 120 km-per-hour winds that caused torrential rains, uprooted electric poles and flooded highways.