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There was a severe storm in Gujarat 25 years ago.
There was a severe storm in Gujarat 25 years ago.
News2News.in Explainer: June 9, 1998 was the worst day for Gujarat. 21 years ago, a similar storm completely destroyed the coastal town of Kandla in Gujarat. The day of June 9, 1998 started like a normal day, but suddenly the sky turned black and strong winds started blowing. Within just 6 hours, the entire Kandla town was in the grip of the storm.
The rapidly rising water level began to engulf people’s homes, farms and salt pans. People started running fast to high places. A laborer working in the salt fields says that as soon as the storm hit, I, my family and 28 people went to the roof of my two-storey house. At that time, 25 feet waves rising in the sea were coming fast in the town. The same 25 feet high wave hit his house and the whole house collapsed. He survived by holding a pillar but his wife, two daughters and others were washed away. There was only death and destruction in the whole of Kandla. There were piles of dead bodies all over the town.
The survivors were searching for their next of kin. The plight had become such that the dead bodies were being sent to the hospital by filling them in trucks. The hospital’s balcony, lobby and waiting hall had become makeshift morgues. 15 ships were sunk at Kandla port. High waves and strong winds had capsized two ships on the National Highway-8A. Similar was the scene in Jamnagar, Junagadh and Rajkot. Till date no one has got the exact figure of how many houses, slums, vehicles were washed away. When a sudden storm hit Kandla, many people climbed onto the huge containers lying in the port to save their lives, but the storm took these containers with it into the sea. In this way hundreds of people died at the port itself. How terrible the storm was can be gauged from the fact that bodies were being found till August 1. Some bodies were also found off the coast of Pakistan.
the rescue mission failed
For about a month dead bodies kept arriving on the island near Kandla. Dozens of dead bodies had reached the banks of Mandvi floating in the sea. There was no disaster management. After the storm, there was mud on the shores. In the same mud, the local people searched and found hundreds of dead bodies.
how many deaths would have happened
According to government figures, more than 2,300 people died in the disaster. The casualties were mainly in Kandla, Gandhidham. Two or three ships were also sunk near Jamnagar. How many people were there in it? Couldn’t get an accurate idea of this. Apart from this, many deaths also occurred due to falling of kutcha houses and trees, electrocution. Most of the dead were provincial laborers who worked in Kandla and Gandhidham ports. Much of the devastation also took place in the port area itself. If the local people are to be believed, there were many times more deaths than these figures.
People were not aware of the storm
Those working in Gujarat had no idea that a storm was coming towards them as their death.
Rumors of gas leak after the storm
The storm had receded after only two hours but after that the rumors started. A rumor also spread about the leakage of poisonous gas, due to which the labor families started fleeing. In no time, around 15,000 laborers had fled from Kandla Port and Gandhidham. Trains and other traffic were disrupted due to the storm, so thousands of laborers had to walk on foot. It had even reached such an extent that many families were riding in the vehicles carrying the dead bodies. They just wanted to save their lives from the poisonous gas somehow. These laborers did not return for months.
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Why were not enough preventive steps taken?
The information was received earlier from the Meteorological Department that the storm was moving at a speed of 200 km. The point of its weakening later was also correct. But after weakening, no one had any idea that the storm would pick up speed again. Usually this never happens. The government had also accepted that the storm had weakened. But the storm caught such a speed that it took only 20 to 25 minutes to reach Kandla and Gandhidham port. The government also learned a lesson from this disaster. There was another storm about 11 months later, but the alert was withdrawn only after it had passed.
However, this time when we are facing a storm, one thing is sure that vigilance should be taken till 12-15 hours after the storm is over. Because the heat of the cyclone is in the air. Due to this, sea water starts getting absorbed and the speed of the storm increases again.
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