Thousands of survivors of a giant earthquake that ripped through India's western state of Gujarat will spend a second night in the open as officials said they feared up to 15,000 people had been killed.
Officials were unable to give an accurate death toll from yesterday's quake, the most powerful to hit India in half a century, as reports of more deaths came in from remote areas in the western state of Gujarat.
Mr Narendra Modi, Secretary General of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said he believed 15,000 may have died, including 13,000 in the marshy coastal district of Kutch near the epicenter of the quake.
Star Television quoted federal Defense Minister, Mr George Fernandes, as telling reporters he also feared 15,000 had died.
Around 33,000 people are believed injured while hundreds of thousands have been left homeless. Preparations are now underway for mass cremations.
If confirmed, the death toll would rival the numbers killed in a powerful earthquake in Turkey in August 1999, when more than 17,000 people were killed.
International aid is pouring in to assist local rescuers free quake victims trapped in collapsed buildings.
The EU and the UN have sent humanitarian and disaster assessment teams to the region. A UN appeal may be launched shortly, said the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs who announced a £1m aid package for India today.
Meanwhile, Pakistan offered relief for India's quake victims and Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf set aside differences with nuclear rival India over the disputed state of Kashmir to send a message of sympathy to India's Vajpayee.
Reuters