India in aid talks as 20,000 quake toll feared

India was in talks with the World Bank and other agencies this week for $1.5 billion in aid to rebuild devastated western Gujarat state

- the area that bore the brunt of last Friday's earthquake feared to have killed 20,000 people.

Individual countries, including the US, Canada and India's traditional enemy Pakistan, offered financial help and relief teams.

If confirmed the death toll would outstrip the numbers killed in a massive quake in Turkey in 1999 when more than 17,800 died.

Reuters