People crossing bridge at Hiralaxmi Memorial Craft Park, Bhujodi Village, Kutch, Gujarat, India
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake was reportedly the most devastating earthquake in India in recent history. It occurred on January 26, 2001, which coincided with the 51st celebration of Republic Day (India) at 0317 hrs GMT.[2] The location of the epicentre was Bhuj (° N ° E) Gujarat, India. Measuring on the Richter scale, the quake killed more than 30,000 people and injured another 55,000 and rendered about half a million people homeless [1] throughout Gujarat and parts of Eastern Pakistan. It happened because of tectonic plates releasing pressure in the area after a collision margin took place. A collision margin is where two continental plates collide and begin to rub, creating lots of pressure, until eventually it is released and creates an earthquake is considered an intraplate earthquake because it occurred a great distance from any plate boundary, where the theory of plate tectonics says most earthquakes of this size happen. Because of this, this area was not completely prepared for an earthquake of such size, causing much of the devastation. [edit]The damage Because of its size and location, this quake was very destructive in terms of lives lost and damage to property. All the deaths occurred in India'a western state of Gujarat, near the Pakistan border. Bhuj, situated only 20 kilometers (14 miles) from the epicentre, was the most devastated town. As many as 20,000 people were reported dead. As of February 3, the official toll had climbed to more than 30,000, though it later fell to 19,727. The final death toll of kutch was 12221. At least 150,000 more were reported injured. This too may be an underestimate. Over a million structures were damaged or destroyed, including many historic buildings and tourist attractions.[citation needed] The quake destroyed a percent of the homes in Bhuj, several schools, and flattened the hospital. Considerable damage occurred also at Bhachau. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial capital and a city of m
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Location: Hiralaxmi Memorial Craft Park, Bhujodi Village, Kutch, Gujarat, India
Photo credit: © philipjbigg / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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