Thousands are threatened with exposure amid concerns that the population faces a massive outbreak of disease. People are seeking out safer places for refuge. The critical requirement now is for medical facilities and related supplies that the wounded desperately need. The current death toll in India could be as high as 100,000 people.
Many thousands are unaccounted for.
The few hospitals that were not severely damaged are operating at full capacity. The Indian Government reports that the epicenter was about 12 miles northeast of Bhuj. Bhuj has reported 12,000 people dead. The earthquakes struck while Indians were celebrating the country's 51st Republic Day, a public holiday commemorating the adoption of the constitution. As with public holidays in the United States, government offices and most businesses were closed when the powerful quakes struck.