EARTHQUAKE SUMMARY

The Chamoli-Rudraprayag Earthquake measured 6.8 on the Richter scale and lasted for 40 seconds, making it one of the most powerful this century in Uttarakhand. Seismologists have identified the epicenter near Nandaprayag at 30.49N 79.29E, striking on March 28, 19:05:13 GMT or 12:35 AM local time (March 29). The timing of the quake -- when people, fatigued by a day of toil, slept like logs in their makeshift loose rock homes, could not have been worse. Following so close to the Uttarkashi Earthquake of 1991 (which measured 6.6, was at a much lower depth -- 12km as opposed to 30km -- and consequently more devastating with 1,600 lives lost), this recent earthquake has dealt a savage blow to another one of the poorest districts of Uttarakhand.

The extent of the disaster was revealed to the world by dispatches from reporters at the scene. However, with the situation in Kosovo and the imminent fall of the Indian central government, the disaster has been barely noticed and now largely forgotten. Here is more information gathered from BBC, AP, Hindustan Times, Times of India, and the Hindu correspondents:

LIFE AND LIVELIHOOD

• Over 800 villages are reported affected and 250,000 people have been rendered homeless.
• Severe structural damage has been reported for buildings in hundreds of villages. Traditional safe shelters such as schools, administrative offices, and cowsheds have been destroyed or reported to dangerous to inhabit.
• So far the bulk of the victims of 100 are in Chamoli district, with at least 30 more in Rudraprayag, and half a dozen reported in Tehri district.
• Over 70 villages completely destroyed - most in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts.
• Most houses have collapsed in Nandaprayag, Chamoli, Gopeshwar, and Ukhimath.
• Bodies have been extricated from the debris in villages Gulabkoti, Pakhi, Dipalkoti, and Tilfara. Dozens of children have been orphaned.
• Kunja, Makku, Pingla Pani, Dhankot, Bissau, and Akhori are among the worst hit villages in Rudraprayag district.
• Major relief work so far has been restricted to villages lying close to the main roads. Little information is yet available on villages further inland.
• Syur, Bimaru, Bhat, Dadola, Bayani, Buniala, Raitoli, Hat and Jaishal are among the villages near Chamoli that have yet to be visited by relief workers.

ROADS AND UTILITIES

• Many of the roads in the area have been blocked by falling rubble, although the Gopeshwar-Chamoli, Karnprayag-Gharoli, and Rudraprayag-Gaurikund roads have been cleared. The main road between Gopeshwar and Ukhimath is still blocked.
• Most of the water pipelines have been adversely affected or destroyed by the quake. The state government has rushed tanker trucks of water to the area.
• Most telephone and electricity lines are down in the region.

RELIEF EFFORTS

• Relief camps have been set up in Gopeshwar and Chamoli, yet the magnitude of the damage has overwhelmed the government. Hundreds of people are sleeping in the streets, playgrounds, and helipads, after being evacuated to Gopeshwar from their villages.
• Correspondents at the scene have also reported delays in relief work brought about the distracting visit of numerous VIPs.

OTHER AREAS AFFECTED

• Tremors have been reported in Dehra Dun, Hardwar, Saharanpur, Moradabad, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut Ghaziabad, and Delhi.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Harish Chandola, correspondent for the Hindustan Times, provided the following phone numbers for more information: Chamoli: (01372) 52102, 52320, Joshimath: (01389) 22128, 22109, State Home Department: (0522) 237330 237332, 237343, 237676.

This earthquake that has ravaged Chamoli district has dealt a terrible setback to a region that has not yet recovered from the devastation of last August's landslides. Click here to go to the news archive on the natural disaster in the Uttarakhand hills.