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The death toll from Ecuador’s worst earthquake in decades rose to 350 on Monday while traumatised survivors rested amid the rubble of their homes and rescuers dug for survivors in the Andean nation’s shattered coastal region.At least 2,068 people were also injured in Saturday’s 7.8 magnitude quake, which ripped apart buildings and roads and knocked out power.Giving the new tally of fatalities from the city of Portoviejo inside the disaster zone, President Rafael Correa said he feared the number China Garden Gazebos for sale would rise even further."Reconstruction will cost billions of dollars," he also said, chatting with victims and appearing deeply moved as he toured the shattered town in the OPEC nation whose economy was already reeling from the global slump in crude oil prices.Further north, in the beach locality of Pedeales, survivors curled up on mattresses or plastic chairs next to flattened homes. Soldiers and police patrolled the hot, dark streets oveight while pockets of rescue workers plowed on.

At one point, firefighters entered a partially destroyed house to search for three children and a man apparently trapped inside, as a crowd of 40 gathered in the darkness to watch."My little cousins are inside. Before, there were noises, screams. We must find them," pleaded Isaac, 18, as the firemen combed the debris.Tents sprang up in the town’s still-intact stadium to store bodies, treat the injured, and distribute water, food, and blankets. Survivors wandered around with bruised limbs and bandaged cuts, while those with more serious injuries were evacuated to hospitals.While the full extent of the damage remains unclear, the disaster is dreadful news for Ecuador’s economy, which was already forecast for near-zero growth this year due to plunging oil income.The energy industry appeared largely intact although the main refinery of Esmeraldas was closed as a precaution. However, exports of bananas, flowers, cocoa beans and fish could be slowed by ruined roads and port delays.

The quake could also alter political dynamics ahead of next year’s presidential election.The govement’s response seemed relatively speedy, with vice-president Jorge Glas flying into the disaster zone within hours and Mr Correa coming straight back from a trip in Italy.But some survivors complained about lack of electricity and supplies, and aid had still not reached some areas.About 230 aftershocks have rattled survivors, who huddled in the streets, worried the tremors could topple their already cracked homes."We’re scared of being in the house," said Mr Yamil Faran, 47, surrounded by some 30 people in a street in Portoviejo. "When the aftershocks stop, we’re going to see if we can repair it."About 130 inmates in Portoviejo took advantage of the destruction and chaos to climb over the collapsed walls of the low-security El Rodeo prison. More than 35 had been recaptured, authorities said Sunday night.On Monday, people swarmed into the middle of Portoviejo in search of any materials of value among destroyed buildings, including a social security office. Desks and papers lay strewn around as locals carried off aluminium window frames and cables.

Wholesale Party Tent Manufacturers For the RJD, which is the main force in the grand alliance, the records and statistics are far from encouraging. The statistics, as reported, indicate that in its prime the RJD had an over 28 per cent share in the state. Over the years and successive elections, both Assembly and Lok Sabha, the RJD’s vote share dropped by nearly 20 per cent.Also, in the last Lok Sabha polls the JD(U)’s vote share dropped from 23 per cent to 16 per cent. On the other hand, with Mr Modi leading the charge during the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP’s vote share had touched nearly 29 per cent. The calculation of the grand alliance was to consolidate the RJD-JD(U) vote bank to thwart the Modi charge.If both Mr Lalu Yadav and Mr Nitish Kumar are sitting on the edge of their seats, the BJP appears to be a confident outfit. At least on the surface. Tents have been put up at BJP’s national headquarters at Ashok Road here. Party workers and joualists have been invited to breakfast and, of course, the saffron hoi polloi is ready with its stock of crackers and dhols.Yet, behind this apparent bravado, there seems to be a simmering tension and a silent panic.

"We are not showing any signs of weakness. But a defeat in Bihar will be a blow from which we just might not be able to recover," a senior saffron functionary said."If we lose Bihar, we will lose Uttar Pradesh," he feared. Besides these possible electoral debacles, what apparently is worrying the BJP is the probability of the Prime Minister’s image and charisma taking a permanent hit. The BJP made the Bihar elections a contest between a chief minister and a Prime Minister. This projection, some saffron functionaries felt, was a "dangerous gamble".The BJP kicked off its electoral campaign with its development card. A promise to rid the state of "jungle raj". By the end of the first phase of the Assembly election, saffron strategists realised that voters were "not buying the jungle raj slogan".Then the beef controversy gave the saffronites an opportunity to bring out their often used ammunition - the Hindu card. From senior party leader Sushil Modi to BJP president Amit Shah to Prime Minister Modi, they latched on to bovine politics to consolidate the Hindu vote bank, cutting across caste lines. This was intensified before the fifth phase in which the Muslim vote bank was expected to play a crucial role.

Of the 57 seats in Seemanchal region, nearly 41 were Muslim-dominated.Repeated communally-charged remarks by a section of saffron fringe elements, as well as some Modi ministers and parliamentarians, gave rise to the possibility of Muslims voting "en masse" in favour of the grand alliance.A day ahead of the fifth phase, the BJP decided to milk the emotive cow protection issue to woo voters. An advertisement was put out in newspapers questioning Mr Nitish Kumar’s silence on the controversy over beef, with the tag line "Jawaab nahi, toh vote nahin (If there’s no reply, there will be no vote)."This advertisement, incidentally, came days after the PM had spoken about the beef issue in his election rallies in the state. In Munger, he had hit out at the RJD chief, saying that he had insulted the Yadav community by "Idea on what they eat".The Bihar elections, some say, not merely divided the pollsters but also society. A war of words and communally charged speeches marked the bitterly fought Bihar polls.