Devastation on R-day

The quake on the 54th Republic Day left Kachchh in ruins.

Date: 26 January, 2001
Time: 8.46 am
Epicentre: 23.6° North Latitude and 69.8° East Longitude
Magnitude: 7.6

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One of the most devastating earthquakes to strike India in recent times, this quake on the 54th Republic Day left a trail of devastation from which the affected region may take decades to recover. While the government estimated the final death toll at about 10,000, many independent agencies put the toll much higher, even at about double the tally.

The worst affected regions were Kachchh and Saurashtra, though deaths were also reported from a much wider including the financial nerve centre of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, where a number of high rises collapsed. Deaths were also reported from Surat at the opposite end of the state. Tremors were felt in almost the entire subcontinent. The quake had its epicenter around Bhuj. The quake measured 6.9 on the Richter Scale, though this figure was disputed by some seismologists.