KOYNA NAGAR (India): The death toll from Monday’s earthquake here rose to 250 today [Dec 13] as rescue teams uncovered more bodies in the shattered township and surrounding villages.

In 122 villages checked so far, 6,000 houses had collapsed. Some 3,000 people were injured, most of them not seriously.

Mild tremors continued through the night at Koyna and in many parts of western India, but experts said they were to be expected after a major earthquake.

An eight-year-old girl died, and her mother and sister were badly injured when their home collapsed and crushed them in a village near Sholapur, 130 miles east of here yesterday.

The latest tremors of mild intensity were felt in Bombay, Poona and Goa at 21.20 local time yesterday but no damage was reported. Similar slight-to-moderate tremors shook Maharashtra state for several hours this morning.

Meanwhile , it is now gathered that at least 30 persons died in the earthquake tragedy in Tatnagiri. Although 21 bodies were found up to yesterday, the exact number of the dead is more. — Agencies

[Meanwhile, as reported by an agency in Islamabad,] Pakistan and the Soviet Union today [Dec 13] initialled an agreement for exchange of commodities on an expanded scale.

The Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Com­merce, Mr V.A. Jafri, and the Soviet trade representative in Pakistan, Mr Kozmin, initialled the agreement on behalf of the Governments of Pakistan and the Soviet Union respectively.

The agreement will become effective on Jan 1, 1968, and will remain in force for three years. The existing three-year agreement for exchange of commodities expires on Dec 31.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2017