skip to main content

Pakistan quake toll now 38,000

Pakistan - Death toll rises
Pakistan - Death toll rises

The official death toll from last week's Kashmir earthquake has jumped to 38,000 in Pakistan.

The number of injured has also been raised, to 62,000 with 3.3 million people made homeless. The earthquake on Saturday 8 October also killed about 1,300 people in India.

Heavy rain in northern Pakistan has compounded the misery of survivors, disrupted aid flights and threatened more landslides on roads the army has been struggling to clear.

Altaf Musani, a senior World Health Organisation disaster official, has said efforts to provide medical aid are being impeded by the rain. It is also making it more likely that disease will spread due to poor sanitation.

Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, has been devastated. Military officials estimate up to 70% of its buildings have either collapsed or become uninhabitable.

The civil administration has completely disintegrated, with most personnel dead, injured or preoccupied with looking after their families.

Government offices have been destroyed and the city has no power or water. Virtually all citizens are living out in the open, in parks, gardens and on sports fields.

Pakistani Prime Minister, Shaukat Aziz, said the quake had caused about five billion dollars in infrastructure losses.