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Tremors will continue for some more days

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

Geological experts say that Monday's earthquake in Chamoli will continue to produce tremors for several more days.

There is nothing unusual about the tremors that are being felt in the region even a day after the quake. "Both pre-shocks and aftershocks are a common phenomena in any earthquake of high magnitude," Geological Survey of India Deputy Director General Ravi Prakash told Rediff On The NeT, "There should be no cause for alarm because usually these are mild tremors without any kind of devastating potential."

Prakash was answering queries about the panic among the people of Garhwal, which has received a series of tremors since the fateful night of March 28-29.

The GSI has despatched at least seven teams to quake-hit areas.

Meanwhile, reports reaching Lucknow confirmed that at least 110 human lives were lost, besides injuries to 338. Deaths and damage to property in other places besides Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Tehri, like Bageshwar in the Kumaon Himalayas and Pauri in Garhwal, have also been reported.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Yogendra Narain does not rule out a higher toll. "The rescue and relief teams have yet to return. With most of the telecommunication network down in the hill region and in the absence of high-powered radio communication, the inflow of information is bound to be slow," he said.

Explaining the miraculous absence of even a single death in Pauri, despite extensive damage to 1,149 houses, of which as many as 187 had completely collapsed, District Magistrate P K Sarangi said in a telephone interview, "A lot of the houses had already been deserted after the last monsoons when landslides had damaged or weakened many of the tenements. Besides, since the first tremor in Pauri at about 1235 hours was not as intense as what was felt in Chamoli, we had time to sent out a red alert and tell people to move to safer points."

The fully-razed houses were the abandoned ones, he said.

RELATED REPORTS:
Quake had hit Tehri too; toll touches 100
Damage less as epicentre was deeper, says expert

UNI

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