New tremors spark brief panic in India quake zone

New tremors spark brief panic in India quake zone

BHUJ, India (Reuters): A series of fresh tremors struck fear
into the hearts of thousands living in India's earthquake-ravaged
western state of Gujarat overnight, but officials said they
appeared to have caused little damage.

"We have no report of any damage from the entire district, we
are still updating our reports, but I believe the impact has not
been significant," Anil Mukim, district magistrate of Bhuj, told
Reuters on Friday.

The town of Bhuj took the brunt of the Jan. 26 earthquake
which, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, killed at least 30,000
people and left more than a million homeless.

Terrified residents of Ahmedabad, the commercial capital of
Gujarat, spent the night outdoors after the strongest of many
aftershocks which have shaken the region over the last two weeks.

The tremor, which registered 5.3 on the Richter scale, caused
widespread panic.

The Indian Express said at least 40 people were injured as
they fled high-rise buildings, fell down stairs or jumped off
balconies. It said more than 25 people were brought to the city's
main hospital and treated for fractures or head injuries.

"This takes the number of aftershocks following the main
earthquake to 234," said J.C. Verma, a duty officer at the
meteorological department.

The fresh tremors were felt in several towns of Gujarat, but
there were no reports of deaths or buildings collapsing.
An official of the World Health Organization said he felt two
aftershocks on Thursday night while in his hotel room in Bhuj.

"I was woken up when I heard some glasses rattling on the
table," Dr. Nilesh Budda said.

However, a Reuters reporter in Bhuj said there was no sign of
panic or alarm in the ancient town after the new tremor.

People crowded around streetside tea stalls early in the
morning and women carrying huge bundles of clothes walked to a
lake on the edge of the old town to do their washing.

"People are not so afraid anymore," said Atul Tewaria, a local
resident.

"Even those who have lost their close ones, even they are
slowly reconciling to their fate and picking up their lives.
Things are slowly returning to normal, shops are opening up."

District Collector Anil Mukim said banks and government
offices were back to work and local business chambers were
pushing for the resumption of the city's wholesale market.

"It is very heartening and a very positive factor that people
are not only coming out of the shock but are also looking forward
to the return of normalcy," he said.

In the worst-affected district, Kutch, authorities and aid
workers turned their attention from rescue operations to
rehabilitation of the thousands affected by the quake.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said it was
providing $3 million for needs assessment, coordination and
relief with funding from Italy, Britain and the United States.

Its program will provide shelter to 40,000 families in rural
areas of Gujarat and ensure reconstruction of safer houses to
reduce their vulnerability to future disasters.

"The state was already in the grip of drought when the
earthquake struck, and this had forced men to migrate in search
of work," it said.

"The work of rebuilding homes will, in most likelihood, be
done by women. Therefore, involving women's groups from the early
stage of planning and decision-making will be a priority."

As aid poured in from around the world, The Hindustan Times
daily said some food parcels have contained inappropriate and
unfamiliar fare for people accustomed to a diet of lentils, rice
and a yoghurt-based curry.

It said the aid included Western breakfast cereals, powdered
soup, luncheon meat, sardines in sunflower oil and pineapple
slices in syrup. The ingredients, use-by dates and preparation
guidelines were written in Swedish, Arabic, Danish and Spanish.