Tidal Wave of Great Intensity Strike Makran Coast

News Clip Information

Country
India
Title of Article
Tidal Wave of Great Intensity Strike Makran Coast
Name of Newspaper
The Free Press Journal
Date of Newspaper
1945-11-30
Dateline
Karachi, Bombay (Nov 1945)
Page number(s)
1,2
Author
N/A
Language
English
Name of translator
N/A
Cross References to other version
N/A
Media of source
Bound newspaper volume (Photograph)
Name of Source (Where the news clips obtained)
Directorate of Archives, Maharashtra State, Mumbai

Text written in the news clip

(PAGE 1)
Tidal wave of great Intensity strikes Makran Coast ; Great loss of life and property ; Lighthouses rocked: Towns under water – Karachi, November 29 – Reports from various sources about yesterday’s tidal wave indicate extensive damage along the Makran Coast. with considerable loss of life. Near Khudi, a fishing village 30 miles west of Karachi, a whole hamlet of a few huts was washed away with their inhabitants. Twelve fishermen taking shelter in a raised ground in Dabo Creek also lost their lives and some of the bodies were recovered. Similar reports are received from various points along the Coast. Loss of life is also reported from the Gulf of Oman. Many country crafts are said to have been lost on the South Persian Coast along with several boatmen.

Towns under water. Pasni and Ormara, small low level towns along the Makran Coast, are under water and telegraph communications by cable to these two places have been cut off. The cable from Karachi to Muscat is also interrupted and it is feared that the interruption indicates damage caused by the earthquake and tidal wave in the region of Muscat as well. The other port known to have been affected in Gwadur.

Eye-witness story. a visitor who arrived from Pasni today, giving an eye-witness account said that there was unusual weather with a strong gale following the earthquake and tidal wave. Many boatmen, who attempted to tow down their boats were swept away along with their boats. Some fissures also occurred near the town. A graphic description of the effects of the tidal wave was given by Mr. W.E. Bushby, Chairman of Karachi Port Trust, in an interview to the A.P.I.. The 80 feet Lighthouse at Manora was rocked violently for several seconds. After the shocks, the crew up on the Lighthouse found that considerable quantity of mercury on which which some of the delicate machinery floats was spilled over the tray on the concrete floor. When swept up during the course of the morning the weight of the spilled mercury was found to be over 30 lbs.

Another lighthouse affected. Another lighthouse has been damaged at Cape Monze, 35 miles from Karachi and the tower sustained some cracks. About 22 lbs. of mercury was spilled here. The tidal wave, which appeared to have come from the direction of the village of Ghizri and Clifton ran along the side of the oil installations at Keamari, flooding certain adjoining compounds in that area and eventually burst over the shore end of the East Groyne at Manora. The damage to this Groyne, due to this tidal wave, is in a length of about 400 feet. The first tidal wave affecting the harbor took place at 5-30 a.m. The second and bigger one took place at 7 a.m. There was a third wave at about 7-50 a.m. followed by the biggest at about 8-15 a.m. It was fortunate that the maximum tidal wave took place about 100 minutes after the normal high tide in the harbor on that day, when the tide would normally have been ebbing. The after effects of the maximum tidal wave produced a very strong ebbing current of between four and five knots. There was however, no damage to boats and Port installations in Karachi.

(PAGE 1)
7 Bodies Washed Ashore in Bombay; Tidal Wave Tragedy – Bombay, Thursday, November 29 – Seven bodies were washed ashore at the Hornby Vellard, Bombay, this morning following a tidal wave. Seven bodies were of persons, some of whom are still unidentified had probably gone to the Haji Ali Dargah, near Mahaluxmi, to pay their respects, but later were caught in the tidal wave and were washed away. Reports state that nine persons were rapped in the tidal waters, but bodies of two persons remain yet untraced. Among the persons who met their watery grave in this tragedy, were one Muslim woman and two Muslim males, whose bodies were washed ashore in the regions of Mahaluxmi creek. The body of the woman gave no clue to her identity, while that of one of the males, could be located from a cloth ration card that was found from his person at “Bhandari Street, Souter Road, Room No. 18”. Bodies of an old man and three women belonging to the fisherfolk of versova were also swept ashore and taken possession of by the Police. A verdict of accidental death due to drowning was given at the Coroner’s Court where inquest on the dead bodies recovered from Versova tragedy was held today.

(PAGE 2)
Earth Tremors – Bombay, Thursday, November 29 -Four earthquake shocks of slight intensity, apparently being aftershocks of the very great earthquake of November 28, were recorded by the seismograph at the Colaba Observatory. The respective times of the shocks recorded according to the India Standard Time at the Colaba Observatory were as follows: November 28: 08\50 hours and 16\21 hours. November 29: 0\44 hours and 5\04 hours.

Name of person(s) obtain the news clip

Reference Number: NC_IN_0032