200 Aftershocks Recorded

Reuters

MUMBAI - Nearly 200 aftershocks have been recorded in the wake of Friday's powerful earthquake in Gujarat, a senior seismology expert said on Saturday.

Dr G.J.Nair, head of the seismology department of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai, said 196 aftershocks registering 3.5 or above on the Richter scale had been recorded during the day.

Nine had registered above five, with the strongest being a 5.8 trembler occurring about two hours after the killer quake.

Nair said the frequency of aftershocks had lessened, indicating seismic activity was subsiding. The frequency had dropped from about nine to 10 per hour to 4.5 per hour. But fear of aftershocks kept thousands of terrified Gujarat residents out on the streets, preparing for another night out in the open rather than return to fragile, damaged buildings.

Nair said both the intensity and location of Friday's killer quake had surprised geologists.

The last major quake to hit the area occurred in 1819, when a quake estimated at 8.3 killed about 2,500 people. Most of the major earthquakes to rock India occur along what is known as the Himalayan Alpine Belt.