Fresh India quake creates panic

Entire tent cities have sprung to house thousands

The western Indian state of Gujarat has been hit by another tremor, just two weeks after the devastating earthquake which killed thousands of people.

The latest quake - measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale - was followed by a series of aftershocks throughout Thursday night.

Suddenly we felt the ground under us shaking

C V Patil

Reports say at least 25 people have been injured in the city of Ahmedabad, when they jumped out of their windows and balconies in panic.

More than a million people are homeless after last month's massive earthquake, which killed an estimated 30,000 people.

Panic

The fresh overnight tremors shook buildings but did not cause any significant damage.

Open for business in Gujarat

"We were preparing to go to bed. Suddenly we felt the ground under us shaking," C V Patil, a doctor sheltering outdoors, said.

Many said the aftershocks would damage the confidence of the people who were still deeply traumatised.

"Nothing can now convince people to stay indoors after this tremor. It has rekindled old fears and emotional outbursts," Ahmedabad resident, Swati Parvatiyar, said.

Rebuilding Gujarat

Large amounts of aid has been flowing into Gujarat from various parts of India and the world, all part of a massive project to rebuild the region.

The task of rebuilding has begun

Aid workers say the focus has shifted from immediate food and medical relief to long-term rehabilitation, health and trauma care.

Entire tent cities have sprung up, several field hospitals are in operation and shops and businesses have started functioning from makeshift structures.

"Even those who have lost their close ones, even they are slowly reconciling to their fate and picking up their lives," said a resident of Bhuj, one of the worst-hit towns.

But there are still complaints that the distribution of relief materials has been poorly co-ordinated, and that not all parts of the state have been helped.

"Against a requirement of over 60,000 tents in and around Bhuj alone, we have so far received just a little over 3,500," Bhuj district magistrate, Anil Mukim, said.

The United Nations Development Fund has now announced that it will provide $3m worth of aid, some of which will be used to provide shelter for 40,000 families in rural Gujarat.

Several agencies, including the United Nations Children's Fund, are also training trauma counsellors working with the quake victims.