Rescue workers rushed to the scene of the worst earthquake in India in more than 50 years. The government had made no preparations after more than 100 tremors shook Killari last year but caused only minor damage. Now thousands of soldiers, police and volunteers descended on the villages with shovels and forklifts to pull the bodies, dead and alive, from the rubble. They covered their faces with handkerchiefs to stave off the stench of cremation and rotting corpses. But the relief efforts were hampered by monsoon rains and by the crowds of people who choked the narrow roads-some searching for relatives, others gawking at the gruesome spectacle or hoping for a chance to loot. Overwhelmed by the calamity, India for the first time in its independent history accepted relief assistance from governments abroad. Much of the world prepared to send supplies -but could do little else to relieve the horror.
