Sunday, October 23 2005 14:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Uri (J-K): For the villagers of Dachhi in North Kashmir, the Border Security Force (BSF) posted in the area have become angels of mercy as they rescued them from the rubble and are helping them rebuild their homes in the aftermath of the devastating quake on October 8.

The 19th battalion of Border Security Force (BSF), posted in the village, was quick on the scene, pulling out survivors from the rubble and providing succor to the injured and the quake affected.

Forty-year-old Rehmat Bi gratefully remembers the jawans who pulled her and her daughter Rashida Bano out their collapsed house after the quake.

"I along with my daughter and grand-daughter were inside the house when it came down like a pack of cards in the quake.

I thought it was over, but God saved us as BSF troops deployed in the village rescued us from the rubble," she said, pointing towards the razed structure, which was once her house.

Commanding officer of the battalion, D K Sharma, said his troops swung into action as soon as the people started crying calling for help once the magnitude 7.6 tremor subsided.

All the 240 houses in the village have been damaged either completely or partially, he said, adding they managed to rescue over 50 people, from the debris of their house.

Bi's husband Nazir Ahmad said his family had survived and he was 'very thankful to God for that'.

He also acknowledged the BSF's timely action, which helped saved their lives.

Living in a tent provided to the family by the force, he praises predict that China's cotton supply will be three million tonnes less than demand due to falling output, the report said.

Experts warn that world cotton output will fall to 24.1million tonnes in the 2005-2006 period, a fall of eight per cent from last year.