‘Let us help each other, email me at this address’

Let’s pray together for our beloved’s well being. My family is in Ahmedabad and I haven’t got any news from them yet. Though I got news that they are good from a relative in Chennai. Minagar is worst affected area in Ahmedabad. Vasana, there is not much destruction as per my knowledge. — Riddhish Shah, USA.

For those like me who have family in villages outside Bhuj, I have the following news. UK visitor in Barashar tells me that village is relatively unaffected. Similarily, in Sukhpur, but not major he thinks. Guys and gals: why don’t we all exchange e-mails – pass to me if you like: dinesh.patel@arup,com. We can all then update each other. — Dinesh Bhudia Patel, London, UK.

Does anybody know how badly Jamnagar City has been affected? My heart goes out to those who have been affected in India and Pakistan. — Ketan Sudra, UK.

If any one knows anything about the Paldi, Vasana, Vastrapur railway station area? If u do please send us an email at dbhatt8097@aol.com. thanks a lot for your help. — Margi Bhatt, USA.

I am a 17-year-old Indian kid living in New Jersey, IST was about 7:15 in the morning just about the time for me to leave for school when my father told me about the tragedy that had hit India, I was shocked and hurt deeply for all my fellow Indians who were affected in this earthquake. My own family members might have been affected who live in Bhuj and Kach… — Kanish Sharma, US.

I am 16-year-old from Badin, Sindh, Pakistan. Today in my school I and my friends felt the earth begin to move here and there and we ran into our playground and prayed to God to save us. — M. Adnan Yaseen Arain, Pakistan.

I have relatives in Satellite Area in Paraskunj Society. I could not call them because circuits are busy or can’t be connected because of cutoff lines. Please send me the news from this particular local area if any one in vicinity get this message. Thanks. — Dilip Patel, USA dpatel2288@aol.com.

My family is desperately trying to contact our relatives in Madhapur and we have 3 people who flew to Madhapur only last weekend, in particular in Navavas, Rankavas and Shriji Nagar areas, but have no joy. If anyone is able to get the latest news from Madhapur, please email me ASAP. — Sunil Shah, England sshah49866@aol.com

I am worried about my mother who is a UK citizen and was due to leave Bhuj to Bombay today but never did. Her name is Ratan Gorsia and is 52 years of age. She was residing in a village called Madhapur which is only about 3 km from Bhuj. I have been trying to contact relatives all day but the communication is down. If the BBC or anyone else has any information please contact me urgently at dmepani@yahoo.co.uk" — Daksha Mepani, UK.

I live in Karachi. In the morning at around 0820 I was working on my PC that I suddenly felt my chair moving, previously I had never experienced an earthquake, for sometime I could not visualize what is happening…I feel grieved from the core of my heart for the Indian families who are affected by this disaster. May God bless their souls and help them recover from this shock. — Khalid, Pakistan.

The problem with construction in India is everyone just blindly apes the west… The houses are built with cement nd concrete, the high rises are very shoddily constructed with the builders using inferior materials. Luckily the Indian spirit of helping each other when disaster strikes is still very much there and we will recover and move on. I do not know if the Indian govt will learn its lessons, but it is for every person to learn lessons from this. — Venkat, USA.

Poor risk management and worst recovery management in Indian sub continent may take the victim figure to unimaginable levels. — Varun Deshpande, India.

I am a Baroda based girl. We are 110 Kms. away from Ahmedabad. I was on phone when this happened. It lasted for around 10 to 20 seconds. Thank God there is not much destruction in Baroda. I am worried about people in Bhuj and Amdavad. There may be more than 1,500 people killed. There is a warning for three more earthquakes to come. I pray for all the affected people. May God help them all." — Sheetal Shah, Baroda.