Solar eclipse shrouds Asia in darkness after dawn
AP – In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the Baily's Beads of solar eclipse is seen in southwest …
By INDRAJIT KUMAR SINGH, Associated Press Writer – 19 mins ago
TAREGNA,
Millions of others, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves indoors.
Thick cloud cover over
The eclipse — caused when the moon moves directly between the sun and the earth, covering it completely to cast a shadow on earth — lasted almost 4 minutes in India. In some parts of
In
In coastal
But as the sky darkened fully for about five minutes, watchers became excited again.
Holding a big green umbrella and wearing special glasses, Song Chun Yun was prepared to celebrate the occasion in a new white dress.
"Although the rain came, I don't want to screw up the mood. I want to enjoy the special day," she said before dancing and singing in the rain with her two sisters. "I don't want to wait until the next 300 years to see this again."
In
"It's a rare moment, I never thought I would see this in my life," said Abdullah Sayeed, a college student who traveled to Panchagarh town from the capital
He said cars in the town needed to use headlights as "night darkness has fallen suddenly." People hugged each other and some blew whistles when the eclipse began, he said.
One of the best views, shown live on several television channels, appeared to be in the Indian town of
Thousands of Hindus took a dip in keeping with the ancient belief that bathing in the river at
But the gathering was marred by tragedy when a 65-year-old woman was killed and six people injured in a stampede at one of the river's banks where about 2,500 people had gathered, said police spokesman Surendra Srivastava.
He said it is not clear how the stampede started.
The eclipse — visible only in Asia — is the longest such eclipse since July 11, 1991, when a total eclipse lasting 6 minutes, 53 seconds was visible from
A 10-member team of scientists from the premier Indian Institute of Astrophysics in
Scientists had said the Indian
But thick clouds and overnight rains provided no spectacle, just a cloudy darkness.
"It was still a unique experience with morning turning into night for more than three minutes," said Amitabh Pande, a scientist with
Still, the rain was welcomed by many in this agricultural area which has seen scant rainfall this monsoon season.
"It would have been nice to see the solar eclipse but the rain is far more important for us," said Ram Naresh Yadav, a farmer.
Millions across
Even in regions where the eclipse was not visible, pregnant women were advised to stay behind curtains over a belief that the sun's invisible rays would harm the fetus and the baby would be born with disfigurations, birthmarks or a congenital defect.
"My mother and aunts have called and told me stay in a darkened room with the curtains closed, lie in bed and chant prayers," said Krati Jain, 24, who is expecting her first child, said in
In the northern Indian state of
Others saw a business opportunity: one travel agency in
At a Buddhist temple in the Thai capital
"The eclipse is bad omen for the country," said Pinyo Pongjaroen, a prominent astrologer. "We are praying to boost the fortune of the country."
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Associated Press writers Julhas Alam in
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_asia_eclipse
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