The 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir on Saturday morning has caused widespread devastation.
Although the tremor was felt as far afield as Kabul and Delhi, the main areas
affected have been Kashmir and Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province.
PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR
Impact: This was the hardest hit region, with entire villages wiped
out and much of the province's capital Muzaffarabad destroyed. The towns of
Bagh and Rawalakot have also been badly affected. Landslides have blocked
roads leading into the area, power and water supplies are cut off, telephone
connections down and hospitals and schools destroyed. The "Peace Bridge",
which is the only road link from Pakistan administered Kashmir to the Indian
side of the Line of Control, was damaged.
Toll: The official death toll for Pakistan is 19,000, of which 17,000 are in Pakistan administered Kashmir. But the top elected official there says more than 25,000 have died in the area, with "countless" injured. An estimated 11,000 have died in Muzaffarabad, according to AP.
Aid: Help has yet to reach many areas. A Muzaffarabad sports stadium
is being used to house the homeless and tend to survivors. Food supplies are
running short, medicines are scarce and there are reports of looting in the
city.
NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE
Impact: The once-thriving town of Balakot has suffered extensive damage, with
two schools and an Islamic seminary collapsing.
Toll: The province's chief minister says more than 1,800 bodies have been
counted so far, but that the toll is expected to rise to about 8,000. Seventy
bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of the collapsed schools, but as
many as 650 children may have been buried in the rubble. About 200 soldiers
are also thought to have been killed by landslides and falling debris.
Aid: With no rescue teams in the area, frantic parents searched for their
children beneath mounds of debris with their hands, picks and shovels. By
Monday morning reports said the first government help was arriving in Balakot,
although locals have set up makeshift camps. Oxfam says one of its aid teams
is on its way to the province.
ISLAMABAD AND ELSEWHERE
Impact: Two blocks of the Margalla Towers complex, containing
about 75 flats, collapsed.
Toll: Twenty-seven are confirmed dead from the Margalla Towers,
and 45 remain unaccounted for. In Punjab province police reported 11 people
dead and 83 injured. In the Northern Areas, two people were killed and two
others hurt, officials said.
Aid: Foreign rescue teams are helping pull out survivors, although
by Monday morning hopes of finding more were fading.
INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR
Impact: The town of Kupwara close to the Line of Control
was worst-hit, with nearby Uri also badly affected. Landslides have blocked
the key highway that connects Srinagar to the rest of India. The 200-year-old
Moti Mahal fort in Poonch district collapsed when the quake hit. About 4,000
houses were damaged.
Toll: Officials say nearly 750 died in the earthquake and 2,300 were injured, although with some villages not yet accounted for the figure may rise further. The town of Kupwara lost 250 people, while 300 perished in Uri. The Indian army said 54 of its soldiers also died.
Aid: Soldiers are searching for isolated villages thought to be
buried under landslides. Rescue efforts and aid deliveries have been hindered
by bad weather, logistical problems and sporadic militant attacks, officials
say. Food aid and tents have been delivered to the area, including via air
drops to remote villages, but some residents say they have not received anything
yet. The most badly injured are being taken to Srinagar by helicopter.
INDIA
Impact: In Punjab state, shops and houses collapsed and rescuers
cut through rubble to find survivors. Buildings in Delhi and Amritsar were
damaged. Tremors caused panic in Gujarat and were also felt in Uttar Pradesh,
Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Toll: Two people were killed, including a five-year-old boy, in the border district of Gurdaspur.
AFGHANISTAN
Impact: The quake was felt across much of eastern and central Afghanistan,
although damage to property was minimal.
Toll: The government reported four deaths, including three children
who were crushed to death in the east of the country.
© Gigaware™ Ltd 2005