Pakistan Earthquake

[ranasrule]

Pakistan, India Search for Survivors After 7.6 Quake (Update7)

Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan and India struggled to recover victims after the worst earthquake in the northern region of Kashmir in 100 years killed at least 20,000 people and left many homeless amid collapsed buildings and aftershocks.

In Pakistan, 19,369 people were confirmed killed by yesterday's magnitude 7.6 earthquake, 17,000 of them in Pakistan- controlled Kashmir, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said at a press conference in the capital Islamabad today. More thank 40,000 people are injured. In India, more than 500 people died in Kashmir Valley, Shaukat Malik, senior superintendent of police, said in a phone interview from Srinagar, the state capital.

``Many areas are still inaccessible because of the damage to infrastructure and roads, and it is too early to say what is the extent of damage,'' Aziz said. ``This is a national tragedy.''

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf asked the international community to assist the country with supplies of medicine, tents, cargo helicopters and financial aid. ``It is the biggest tragedy in the history of our nation,'' he said today.

U.S. President George W. Bush pledged the U.S. would send money and equipment to Pakistan, including dispatching eight helicopters to assist with rescue efforts. ``We want to help in any way we can,'' Bush said today at the White House. He has spoken with Musharraf by telephone, he said.

Most of the casualties in Pakistan occurred in Pakistan- controlled Kashmir, a predominantly mountainous area with a population of about 1.5 million.

$84 Million Package

About 30,000 people may have died in the territory, Tariq Farooq, the area's minister for works and communication, said in a telephone interview. In Muzaffarabad, the local capital, 70 percent of the buildings were damaged or had collapsed, police said. The city is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of Islamabad.

Army helicopters and planes carried food, blankets and medicine to stricken areas.

The Pakistan cabinet announced a 5 billion-rupee ($84 million) relief package and declared three days of mourning. The government will pay 100,000 rupees to the relatives of each of those killed and 50,000 rupees to each of those injured.

The earthquake was the strongest in the region in 100 years, said Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, director general of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

40 Aftershocks

There were more than 40 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher, the last of which, recorded around 2 p.m. local time today, was a little above magnitude 6.

The quake, 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, struck at 8:50 a.m. local time yesterday, 95 kilometers north-north east of Islamabad and 125 kilometers west-northwest of Srinagar in the disputed territory of Kashmir in India, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

Political tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors that have fought three wars since 1947 were set aside yesterday as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Pakistani President Musharraf to offer help, according to CNN's Web site. Musharraf thanked Singh for his offer.

Thunderstorms and hail in northern Pakistan after the quake hampered relief efforts. The temblor leveled buildings, knocked out communication and electricity networks and triggered landslides that blocked roads.

Almost all the Indian fatalities are believed to have occurred in the northern state of Jammu & Kashmir, Information Minister Jaipal Reddy said after a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

India

Indian Prime Minster Singh pledged federal support and assistance in relief and rehabilitation, his office said in an e- mailed statement. The government said it will pay 100,000 Indian rupees ($2,250) to the next of kin of those killed.

Pakistan Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said international assistance had been pledged by the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., France, Turkey, China, Japan, Russia, Ireland, Indonesia and the U.S. The countries were sending rescue teams, dogs and relief goods, including tents, blankets, food and medicines and helicopters.

The World Bank said it would give Pakistan a $20 million credit for reconstruction.

The Manila-based Asian Development Bank pledged $10 million over the next two to three months for rehabilitation work in Pakistan.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is in contact with the governments of Afghanistan, India and Pakistan about ways the UN can assist in relief and rescue operations and in subsequent recovery and reconstruction, said an e-mailed statement from Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Oxfam

Aid organization Oxfam said in an e-mailed statement from Oxford, England, that it is preparing to supply emergency aid to about 300,000 people in some of the worst-affected areas.

The earthquake, felt 750 kilometers away in New Delhi as well as to the west in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, was the world's biggest since a 7.7 magnitude tremor struck the New Ireland region in Papua New Guinea on Sept. 9.

Earthquakes are common in northern India and Pakistan, where the Eurasian and Indian plates meet. The collision of those plates created the Himalaya, the world's highest mountain range.

In October 1991, a magnitude 7 earthquake in northern India left 2,000 people dead, according to USGS. A 6.2 magnitude in December 1974 in north Pakistan killed 5,300 people.

Other parts of Pakistan have also suffered big earthquakes. In 1935, the southern city of Quetta was leveled by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that killed 60,000 people.

`Thrust' Quake

The latest tremor was a ``thrust'' quake caused by friction as the Indian plate pushes against the Eurasian one, David Applegate, senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards at the USGS, told Cable News Network.

Pakistan has a population of about 160 million people. Its $95 billion gross domestic product is forecast to grow as much as 8 percent this year. Pakistan's per capita is $736 per annum, according to the government. One-third of its population lives in poverty or on less than $1 a day, according to the Asian Development Bank.

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:: Donate To The Earthquake Victims ::

Here are a number of ways by which you may donate, to help the victims of the EarthQuake. Everyone is requested to donate

generously,

1)You may donate 3-Rs by typing "DONATE" and sending it to "436". All money collected through SMS by Mobilink or

Ufone, will be given to Mir Khalil Ur Rehman Foundation's Relief Fund.

2)Donate to nearest EDHI center.

http://www.paks.net/edhi-foundation/noffpak.html

3)You may go and sumbitt money in any branch of the National Bank, MCB, United Bank, Allied Bank & Habib Bank Ltd. U

can simply walk-in and submit, they'd guide you. These donations would go directly to Govt's relief fund for quake victims.

4)Bilal Masjid, New Garden Town, Lahore, is collecting monetray and/or Material donations.

5) MLK Foundation (Mir Khalil UR Rehman Foundation):

Pakistan EarthQuake Relief Fund

UBL 0102598-5

For International Transfers

SWIFT CODE ( U N I L P K K A )

6)Ary Digital advertised:

For the reliefs efforts and victims of earthquake please send your donations to

Khawaja Gareeb Nawaz Trust

Account # 010-4843-0

United Bank Limited

7) Pakistan-Canada Association

http://www.pakcan.com/pakistan_earthquake_relief.shtml

PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FUND

Royal Bank of Canada

Branch No: 05600

Transit No: 003

Account No: 1009067

8) Canadian Red Cross http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?...928&tid=001

9)Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Donations to Victims of earthquake:

https://icnany.org/Donation/Donation.php?a=relief

10) Oxfam is also collecting donations http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_ca...asian_quake.htm

11)Chk Payable to President of Pakistan Relief Fund

Address: Habib Allied International Bank Plc

97 Cannon Street London EC4N 5AE

Sort Code 60-95-11 A/C 04916670

12)Without even leaving your homes, donate by calling GEO on their no 0900-99970 (calls to be charged Rs16+tax)

Edited October 9, 2005 by ranasrule

[Crimson Behelit]

Listening to the radio, apparently the estimated death-toll is well over thirty-thousand now :/

My heart goes out to Pakistan...

[ranasrule]

the quake was just the worst thing i have ever experienced...... i was jolted awake by the quake and it lasted for more than a minute...... everyone came out into the streets...... the whole nation is just in a state of shock.....please pray for us

[LOC Veteran]

My condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy. :(

[Noveed]

i have some familiy there i hope everyone there is safe, also my condolences to those who passed away in the quake, big tragedy just like the tsunami :(

[TazB]

Yeah thats very sad all my wishes to them. :(

[Veedems Veteran]

Nature has really laid it on us in the past year huh?

My best wishes and prayers to everyone in Pakistan and the surrounding region.

[mitch00]

like holy jebus... talk about alot of natural distators lately, tsunami, hurricane(s), and now this... wow

sorry to all those affected

[Oblivion]

The Last Time We Had An EarthQuake Was In 1905 During Which One Of Our Main Cities Quetta Was Wiped Out Of The Face Of The Earth Leaving Nearly 35,000 Dead. That Quake Didnt Had The Same Intensity As This One.

The Nation Stands Together In This Hour Of Crisis For We Could Donate As Much As Stuff To The Effected Areas.

The First Scale Of Full Size Seismic Activity Lasted Nearly 6-Minutes Here.

[costanza007]

thoughts and prayers from Louisiana are with you all

[qkslvr221]

Death toll now 40x that of Hurricane Katrina, sitting around 40,000 deaths. My condolences go out to all affected.

[dtmunir]

its funny how after katrina and the tsunami, neowin and other boards were flooded with ppl expressing their emotions, condoleneces, pledging support and what not, and yet after this tragedy, which is MANY MANY times the devastation of Katrina, this thread has only 11 replies.........

my thanks go out to the few who have taken the time to write here. a nation is in mourning right now, because it is facing one of the worst natural disasters of the millenia, and is in a desperate position where it knows that it doesnt have the resources to cope with the after math.

may god be with us all.

[strekship]

its funny how after katrina and the tsunami, neowin and other boards were flooded with ppl expressing their emotions, condoleneces, pledging support and what not, and yet after this tragedy, which is MANY MANY times the devastation of Katrina, this thread has only 11 replies.........

my thanks go out to the few who have taken the time to write here. a nation is in mourning right now, because it is facing one of the worst natural disasters of the millenia, and is in a desperate position where it knows that it doesnt have the resources to cope with the after math.

may god be with us all.

586649971[/snapback]

People don't seem to feel as connected if it doesn't happen in their own backyards.

[ZZOOzzoo]

its funny how after katrina and the tsunami, neowin and other boards were flooded with ppl expressing their emotions, condoleneces, pledging support and what not, and yet after this tragedy, which is MANY MANY times the devastation of Katrina, this thread has only 11 replies.........

586649971[/snapback]

The majority of the members of Neowin are American or British so it's natural that Neowin members feel more "connected" to what happens in their own country. If this forum was mainly Indian/Pakistan, the exact opposite would've happened.

Nevertheless, I wish the best for those who are affected.

[Saadu]

My heart goes out to those who lost their lives. I wish i was there to help them in person. The only thing we can do from far away is send our support. I urge you all to open your hearts and give donations.

[40420_1437839287]

Our prayers and thoughts go out to all those affected.

Whether that be the victims in Pakistan or neighbouring India, or for those who are abroad and waiting to hear the news from loved ones.

Please give generously to any cause related to the aid needed there.

This is a time for all human kind to show there are no barriers when acts of nature affect us all.

[Koolslacker]

Our prayers and thoughts go out to all those affected.

Whether that be the victims in Pakistan or neighbouring India, or for those who are abroad and waiting to hear the news from loved ones.

Please give generously to any cause related to the aid needed there.

This is a time for all human kind to show there are no barriers when acts of nature affect us all.

586650427[/snapback]

You said it all.

[pixated]

Our prayers and thoughts go out to all those affected.

Whether that be the victims in Pakistan or neighbouring India, or for those who are abroad and waiting to hear the news from loved ones.

Please give generously to any cause related to the aid needed there.

This is a time for all human kind to show there are no barriers when acts of nature affect us all.

586650427[/snapback]

Well said.

I was in a earthquake before, altough not nearly as strong as this one and its a horrible feeling.

[Hitman2000]

Man the world sure has been playing up this year, first the tsunamis then hurricane katrina, now this eartquake and a mudslide in south america.

So many natural disaters have occured in recent times.

[Xahid]

I am wondering...

What will be Next...

& Who will be Next..

:(

[KXH]

Truly a Tragedy. And the saddest part is so many children who were in schools died. I will be sure to donate something.

[rishid]

My prayers go out to all those affected.

[cubcake1]

If Katrina was God pounding the Christians, then what is this? Buncha talkin head, know nothin, know it all's. Ill put my faith in "I can't believe its not butter". I mean it really really does taste like butter. Amazing.

[40420_1437839287]

If Katrina was God pounding the Christians, then what is this? Buncha talkin head, know nothin, know it all's. Ill put my faith in "I can't believe its not butter". I mean it really really does taste like butter. Amazing.

586652442[/snapback]

If you have nothing to say - SAY NOTHING :angry:

I'm sure everyone will agree the above person is donating nothing worthy to this topic, never mind the inappropriate nature of his/her comments.

These are people we are talking about, living breathing humans who have lost everything they have.

Have a heart for all those affected.

If you want to attemt humour, goto the jokes section - your sense of humour may raise a giggle there, but certainly not here.

Latest news suggests 20k people dead, and thats an estimate likely to rise as days go on

[vincent]

If Katrina was God pounding the Christians, then what is this? Buncha talkin head, know nothin, know it all's. Ill put my faith in "I can't believe its not butter". I mean it really really does taste like butter. Amazing.

586652442[/snapback]

i'm sorry but can you repeat that in english please?