Midnight rumors keep Kashmiris out of their homes
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-10 14:35

Still recovering from a devastating weekend earthquake, hundreds of Kashmiris rushed out of their homes and spent the frigid night in the open after rumors of another quake.

Hundreds of mosques announced warnings of a new quake over loudspeakers, but no major temblor was reported Sunday night.

People jumped out of their beds and ran into the streets, holding their children.

"I don't want to take a chance. What if there is a quake?" said Atiqa Bano, a terrified 65-year-old housewife.

At least 650 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir by Saturday's magnitude-7.6 earthquake, which flattened dozens of villages and triggered landslides that blocked rescuers from reaching many devastated areas. In neighboring Pakistan, the death toll ranged from 20,000 and 30,000.

"There is going to be another quake, please leave your homes and go into open places," mosque officials shouted over loudspeakers in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, on Sunday night.

Terrified people contacted their relatives and friends on mobile phones, urging them to get out of their homes.

Women prayed aloud during the night as children clung to them.

G.K. Mohanty, a local meteorologist, said no strong earthquakes were recorded overnight, although dozens of aftershocks have been recorded since Saturday's devastating temblor.

Police urged people to return to their homes, assuring them that there was no official warning.

But hundreds of people still rolled out their bedding on pavements or in playgrounds and braved the cold night.