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Gujarat cyclone toll climbs on

With the recovery of six more bodies in the last 24 hours, the death toll in the June 9 cyclone that ravaged Gujarat's Kutch and Saurashtra regions has risen to 1,173.

The number of people reported missing is 1,774.

Unconfirmed reports, however, put the toll between 4,000 and 5,000 and the missing at around 3,000.

The local administration, together with the representatives from navy, air force, Border Security Force and other paramilitary organisation are going ahead with relief work.

Officials said five of the six bodies recovered were found in Kutch. Thus, the toll in the district has reached 882. The sixth one was recovered from Jamnagar district, which now has 179 deaths.

So far government agencies have disbursed Rs 32.1 million in 385 death claims. Of these, Rs 9.1 million was paid in 132 death cases in Kutch district. Doles of Rs 1.9 were also paid as relief to 5,265 families of the same district, officials said.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Minister of Youth, Cultural Activities and Sports Mahendra Trivedi said many well-known Bollywood and Gujarati film personalities would participate in a rally in Ahmedabad on June 27 to collect money and material for the cyclone-affected.

A programme by singers like Purshottam Upadhyay, Hansha Dave, Manhar Udhas and Pankaj Udhas has also been organised on the same day. This would collect nearly Rs 10 million for the chief minister's relief fund.

UNI

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