25 hurt as new quakes rock India
A series of earthquakes have shaken buildings in the western Indian state of Gujarat, injuring at least 25 people.
The state was the scene of a large quake which killed at least 17,000 people two weeks ago.
Police said the injured included 15 panicked residents who jumped from the windows of their homes in Ahmedabad, according to the Press Trust of India.
The Indian Meteorological Department said a 5.3-magnitude quake shook the Kutch district.
The epicentre was 12 miles north east of Bhachau, a town that was badly damaged in the January 26 quake, said S N Vhattchara, deputy director general of the department.
The quake was followed by 10 aftershocks of magnitudes measuring between 3 and 4, Mr Vhattchara said.
More than 230 aftershocks have rocked the region since the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, India's worst tremor in half a century.
Residents across Gujarat felt the quake last night, and many who feared their buildings would collapse rushed into the street and spent the night outside. They jammed state telephone lines temporarily while trying to call loved ones in the aftermath.
Some 24,000 soldiers have been deployed in Gujarat to search for bodies, clear debris and help hundreds of thousands of injured and homeless people. Many survivors of the quake are still sleeping outside under plastic sheets, awaiting tents and other relief supplies.
The Home Ministry said at least 17,000 people died and unofficial estimates say the toll is likely to reach 30,000, with many victims still buried under the rubble. Bhuj was among the hardest-hit towns, with whole neighbourhoods flattened by the tremor.
