Nic Robertson: Counting the dead in Bhuj

Robertson

Nic Robertson is one of the CNN correspondents covering the aftermath of last week's earthquake in India.

Q: The Red Cross now considers 50,000 a "realistic" estimate of deaths. What are authorities doing to get an accurate count of the dead?

Robertson: In every village and every area, somebody has been appointed to register the number of dead and the burials and cremations. In the village of Ratnal, for example, there are 6,000 villagers approximately. They have counted 234 missing, and they have accounted for all those missing, so they have 234 dead.

In bigger towns, the police are coordinating that, assisted by the army. International volunteers are tabulating the numbers of dead that they find, but communications are poor. There are many villages outside the regional centers, and the number of deaths happened over a very wide area. That's one of the main reasons that it's taking authorities so long to get an accurate figure.

Q: How have the needs of the survivors changed over the past few days?

FEATURE The India Quake: From holiday to horror    ALSO Toll estimates rise as quake rescuers depart

Robertson: People are beginning to emerge from the trauma of the quake itself, and fear of further tremors and aftershocks, and are beginning to focus on getting their lives maybe not in order, but getting some of the priorities sorted out. One of the priorities is food, and the other is water.

There have been reports of rioting when food is handed out, but generally most people are able get enough food to survive. The center of the city of Bhuj is beginning to get some of its electricity back, and the city's cellular phone system is coming back to help communications. But the rescue teams are still working, survivors are sleeping out on the street, and some are still hoping to find their loved ones alive in the ruins of homes, but most are beginning to give up hope.

Q: How are the emergency hospitals functioning?

Robertson: The worst is past as far as the injured go. The army has had several days now to get in the medical supplies that they need. The Indian army is providing -- in the city of Bhuj, anyway -- most of the medical facilities.

In the villages, it's a different story. The army hasn't been there. There are many villages without any medical facilities, and they're relying on privately funded medical clinics to come help the injured.

Q: What kind of difficulties are relief workers encountering today?

Robertson: The first thing that you realize about the relief workers as you see them come in with a pack is they come fully prepared to take care of themselves. They have their own food, their own water, their own sleeping facilities. They dig their own latrines.

The cell phone system has begun to come up in some limited areas. That is helping them communicate. But international rescue teams have trouble getting transportation from location to location, they have difficulty getting translators ... the lack of infrastructure is making their job very difficult.

Q: What kind of shape are the roads in?

Robertson: The major road network is open without problems. It's having people with them who know how to get there that is the problem. Most people here have been affected by the quake in some way or another ... they're not really available to help. This is the kind of place where if you're not from there, you won't find your way around.

Rescue effort enters fifth frantic day
January 29, 2001
U.S. pledges $5million in aid relief
January 28, 2001
"Nothing between the earth and the sky"
January 27, 2001
January 26, 2001

U.S. Geological Survey
UNICEF relief efforts
International Red Cross and Red Crescent

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.