Tuesday 27 October 2015

Afghanistan-Pakistan Quake Rescue Efforts Continue

Earthquake In Pakistan's Swat Valley
Rescue efforts are being stepped up to help those affected by the magnitude-7.5 earthquake which hit remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday.

More than 300 people are known to have died, most of them in Pakistan, and at least 2,000 were injured.

Rescue teams have been sent to remote mountainous areas where the impact of the quake is still unclear.

The Taliban, which controls some areas affected, called on aid agencies "not to hold back" relief supplies.

A spokesman said Taliban fighters had been ordered to help the victims.

In another development, Pakistani officials said at least two glaciers in Pakistan's Karakoram mountain range had burst and several others had cracked because of the earthquake, raising fears of flash-floods.

Many people across the region, afraid of a new quake, spent the night sleeping outside in temperatures close to freezing.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a televised address, urged those living in affected areas to help the rescue effort.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said about 76 people had been killed and 268 injured. The numbers were expected to rise, he warned.

The governor of Badakhshan province, Shah Waliullah Adeeb, said survey teams were heading into more remote areas on Tuesday but landslides had blocked roads and helicopters were needed.

Afghan victims included 12 schoolgirls killed in a crush as they tried to leave their classes in Taluqan, Takhar province.

In Pakistan, at least 231 people were killed and 1,632 injured.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, authorities said at least 184 people had died, and more than 1,400 were injured. At least another 30 died in the north-western tribal areas.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the district of Shangla, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where at least 49 people were killed.

In a statement he said Pakistan was "capable enough to rescue and rehabilitate those affected".

After the quake, Facebook launched its "safety check" feature allowing people in affected areas to tell their families they are safe. Google also launched its "person finder" service.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 76km (45 miles) south of Faizabad, in Badakhshan province.

It was deep - more than 200km (125 miles) below the surface - which meant the shaking at ground level was less than for a shallow earthquake.

The USGS said a series of aftershocks - all measuring 4.0 or higher - had struck west of the original quake.

Residents of Kabul and the Indian capital Delhi were shaken by the earthquake, which sent frightened people rushing into the streets.

Buildings in the Tajik capital Dushanbe were also damaged by the tremors.

The region has a history of powerful earthquakes caused by the northward collision of India with Eurasia. The two plates are moving towards each other at a rate of 4-5cm per year.

In 2005, a magnitude-7.6 quake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left more than 75,000 people dead.

In April this year, Nepal suffered its worst earthquake on record, with 9,000 people killed and about 900,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

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