Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Expatriates from northern India and Nepal shuddered each time their city shook from the aftershocks of Saturday's massive earthquake that measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. “My parents live in an apartment building in Lucknow and I'm feeling scared because the tremors have been by the dozens,” said Gulrez Khan, an Indian hailing from the Uttar Pradesh state. “The most worrying part is the aftermath of the earthquake. On the first day of the disaster, the tremor lasted for about 45 seconds but it shook the entire city,” he added. “Though the tremor next day lasted only for 25 seconds, we are living in a state of fear. Uncertainty hangs on our people,” said Khan, who works for a travel agency in Jeddah. “Here we are constantly on the phone to keep in touch with our dear and near ones back home,” he added. Mohamed Mujahid Syed, also from Uttar Pradesh, said: “Thanks to Almighty Allah, the earthquake did not cause any major destruction in our state, but as it lies on the Himalayan belt there is reason for concern. Communication channels are open and all vulnerable regions have been evacuated. “We are however very much distressed by this deadly disaster that hit India and Nepal. Expatriates all over the world are concerned about their kith and kin back home and so are we.” According to news reports the death toll in India was revised to 62 on Sunday, 50 of them in Bihar. At least 259 people were reportedly injured across the country. “Whatever happened was a major disaster that affected thousands in India and Nepal. The government of India is doing its best to help the victims by deploying all its resources,” said Dr. Irshad Ahmed, consul for press and information at the Indian Consulate. The epicenter of the earthquake was in Nepal, but tremors were experienced in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Delhi. The government announced Rs600,000 in compensation to the relatives of those killed. Aqeel Jameel, an Indian social worker based in Jeddah, said: “We are constantly in touch with our relatives back home. Schools were closed on Saturday in our place and it helped mitigate the situation.” Jameel, who is a part of the alumni of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Jeddah, said: “We express our sympathy to the victims. We plan to discuss possible relief efforts in our next meeting.”
