TRAGEDY AT BOMBAY HIGH: The body of an ONGC worker, one of the victims of the Bombay High oil rig fire, being brought to the Victoria Docks in Mumbai on Thursday. — PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWAL

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on Thursday an immediate grant of Rs. 500 crores to Maharashtra after an aerial survey of the rain and flood-ravaged Raigad and Thane districts and parts of Mumbai.

Talking to the media at the naval air base INS Kunjali here, he also announced supply of 10,000 tonnes of foodgrains to the flood victims, besides a grant of Rs.1 lakh to each bereaved family. Money would not be a problem in providing relief and rehabilitation.

Dr. Singh ordered immediate restoration of the damaged national highways.

Mumbaikars breathed a sigh of relief as there were only minor showers on Thursday. Water-logging in most areas subsided, the railway track cleared up and the transport system was back in place. The death toll emerged as much higher than the figures given by the Government on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the Government control room confirmed 513 deaths (as recorded up to 7 p.m.). Of these, 273 were in Mumbai. It is bound to rise as bodies continued to be extricated from under the sand following a massive landslip in a slum in Saki Naka in Mumbai. Sixtythree bodies were recovered and 200 persons were feared trapped.

Dr. Singh said he was "deeply pained by this human tragedy and my heart goes out to the bereaved families." Praising Mumbaikars, he said: "You have suffered a lot in the last three days but have shown resilience, fortitude, courage and patience in dealing with this calamity. You have borne a lot of personal distress in silence and have worked to restore this city to normalcy. You have demonstrated to the world what a Mumbaikar is made of and I salute you all."

He also praised the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

On the Bombay High fire disaster, Dr. Singh said steps would be taken to restore production at the earliest.

Earlier Dr. Singh flew over the Bombay High offshore oilfield, where an entire platform was gutted on Wednesday. The death toll has risen to 12 and 13 persons are still missing. A total of 355 have been rescued in a massive search and rescue operation.

Asked about his dream of making Mumbai a world-class city like Shanghai, he said the metropolis, being the financial capital of the country, deserved better attention and infrastructure.

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Maharashtra's trial by rain and fire

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