Tsunami victims offer quake aid

By Amitabha Bhattasali
BBC News, Calcutta

At least 1,400 people have died in the quake in Indian Kashmir

People in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands are yet to recover from last year's tsunami, but they are now helping South Asia quake victims.

Relief materials are being sent from the islands in the Bay of Bengal to quake-affected people in Indian-administered Kashmir.

A first consignment of relief materials has already been sent to the region.

Nearly 50,000 people are confirmed dead in the earthquake, most of them in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

At least 1,400 died on the Indian side of the Line of Control.

'True spirit'

A senior official of the Andaman and Nicobar Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Mohammed Jadvet, said the first consignment of relief materials included 200 tents, over a 1,000 blankets and three tonnes of biscuits.

"A state-run and a private airline have carried the materials to the mainland," he said.

Mr Jadvet, who is co-ordinating the transportation of relief materials, said another plane-load of relief materials would be despatched soon.

The relief material is being organised by the Rotary Club with the help of the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

A government official said the people of the archipelago are yet to come out of the trauma of December's tsunami disaster but they have shown willingness to help those in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Last year's tsunami, which struck on 26 December, killed more than 200,000 people across South Asia.

Several thousand of those were in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in India's south-eastern mainland states.

"The islanders could not come out of the trauma of the 26 December tsunami. Thousands are still staying in intermediate shelters. Still they have decided to help the quake-hit people of Kashmir," the official said.

"This shows the true spirit of the islanders."