|
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.
|
