650 cremated in Car Nicobar

Navy ships and Indian Air Force helicopters continued to make sorties carrying relief materials and evacuating people to the Tsunami-hit islands in Andaman and Nicobar which were jolted by moderate quakes on Friday morning.

Major evacuation process of the tourists, civilians and service personnel was completed, Commander-in-Chief of the Unified Command Lt Gen B S Thakur here said.

A total of 857 service personnel, 1610 civilians, 31 tourists, three police men and four fishermen were brought to Port Blair mainly from the devastated Car Nicobar island in the last two days, he said.

Naval ship contacted all inhabited islands including Noncowrie and Campbell Bay as the jetties were badly damaged.

"We are taking smaller boats and local 'dongis' from the ship to carry relief and rescue operations," he said.

Smaller aircraft were pressed into operation for the purpose. "In fact we carried the entire capacity of aircraft" he said.

Thakur said that 650 bodies were cremated in Car Nicobar but declined to comment on the number of missing persons saying that civil administration was better equipped to give that figure.