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2005 Pakistan earthquake

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   SOS Children played a central role after the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake.
   For more information see SOS Children: Kashmir Earthquake
              2005 Kashmir earthquake
   Date               October 8, 2005
   Magnitude          7.6 M[w]
   Countries affected Pakistan, India, Afghanistan
   Casualties         74,500+ dead
                      106,000+ injured

   The Kashmir earthquake (also known as the South Asia earthquake or
   Pakistan earthquake)lots of people died and i had a few friends whose
   family and friends died in it of 2005 was a major earthquake whose
   epicenter was the Pakistan-administered disputed region of Kashmir. The
   earthquake occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:38 UTC)
   on October 8, 2005. It registered a minimum magnitude of 7.6 on the
   moment magnitude scale making it a major earthquake similar in
   intensity to the 1935 Quetta earthquake, the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake,
   and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. As of 8 November, the Pakistani
   government's official death toll was 73,276, while officials say nearly
   1,400 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir and four people in
   Afghanistan.
   Map depicting tectonic plates shows Indian subcontinent and Eurasian
   landplate divide through Pakistan and Kashmir where earthquake activity
   is common.
   Enlarge
   Map depicting tectonic plates shows Indian subcontinent and Eurasian
   landplate divide through Pakistan and Kashmir where earthquake activity
   is common.

Human impact

   Most of the affected people lived in mountainous regions with access
   impeded by landslides that blocked the roads, leaving an estimated 3.3
   million homeless in Pakistan. The UN reported that more than 4 million
   people were directly affected, prior to the commencement of winter
   snowfall in the Himalayan region. It is estimated that damages incurred
   are well over US$ 5 billion (30 billion Pakistani rupees) Five crossing
   points were opened on the Line of Control (LoC) between India and
   Pakistan to facilitate the flow of humanitarian and medical aid to the
   affected region.

The earthquake

   Kashmir lies in the area of collision of the Eurasian and Indian
   tectonic plates. . The geological activity born out of this collision,
   also responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountain range, is the
   cause of unstable seismicity in the region. The United States
   Geological Survey (USGS) measured its magnitude as a minimum of 7.6 on
   the moment magnitude scale, with its epicenter at 34°29′35″N,
   73°37′44″E, about 19 km (11.8 miles) northeast of Muzaffarabad,
   Pakistan, and 100 km (65 miles) north-northeast of the national capital
   Islamabad. The earthquake is classified as "major" by the USGS. The
   hypocenter was located at a depth of 26 km (16.2 miles) below the
   surface . The Japan Meteorological Agency estimated its magnitude at a
   minimum of 7.8. By comparison, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake had a
   magnitude of 9.15. The earthquake caused widespread destruction in
   northern Pakistan, as well as damage in Afghanistan and northern India.
   The worst hit areas were Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Pakistan's
   North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and western and southern parts of
   the Kashmir valley in the Indian-administered Kashmir. It also affected
   some parts of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the city of Karachi
   experienced a minor aftershock of magnitude 4.6. There have been many
   secondary earthquakes in the region, mainly to the northwest of the
   original epicenter. A total of 147 aftershocks were registered in the
   first day after the initial quake, of which one had a magnitude of 6.2
   Twenty-eight of these aftershocks occurred with magnitudes greater. On
   October 19, a series of strong aftershocks, one with a magnitude of
   5.8, occurred about 65 km (40.5 miles) north-northwest of Muzaffarabad.
   There have been more than 978 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.0 and
   above, as of 27 October that continue to occur daily. (See USGS for a
   list of recent aftershocks and effects.)

Casualties

   2005 Kashmir earthquake casualties
   Location Dead Injured
   Pakistan ( NWFP & Kashmir) 73,276     100,000
   India (Kashmir) 1,360      6,266
   Afghanistan 4
   Total 74,500+ 106,000+

   Most of the casualties resulting from the earthquake were in Pakistan
   where the official confirmed death toll is 73,276, putting it higher
   than the massive scale of destruction of the Quetta earthquake of May
   31, 1935. Nearly 1,400 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir,
   according to officials. International donors have estimated that about
   86,000 died but this has not been confirmed or endorsed by Pakistani
   authorities.

   As Saturday is a normal school day in the region, most students were at
   schools when the earthquake struck. Many were buried under collapsed
   school buildings. Many people were also trapped in their homes and,
   because it was the month of Ramadan, most people were taking a nap
   after their pre-dawn meal and did not have time to escape during the
   earthquake. Reports indicate that entire towns and villages were
   completely wiped out in Northern Pakistan with other surrounding areas
   also suffering severe damage.

   "...a second, massive wave of death will happen if we do not step up
   our efforts now", Kofi Annan said on 20 October with reference to the
   thousand remote villages in which people are in need of medical
   attention, food, clean water and shelter and the 120,000 survivors that
   have not yet been reached.

   Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz "made the appeal to survivors" on 26
   October to come down to valleys and cities for relief, because bad
   weather, mountainous terrain, landslides and blocked roads are making
   it difficult for relief workers to reach each house and the winter
   snows are imminent.

Damage

Pakistan

     * An assessment of damaged buildings in Muzaffarabad and the
       surrounding area, by the Earthquake Engineering Centre of the
       University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, showed that
       about 60% of the buildings in urban areas were unreinforced solid
       concrete block masonry buildings and it was the collapse of more
       than 60% of these buildings that was responsible for the majority
       of deaths and injuries.
     * Pakistani television reports widespread severe damage to Balakot
       (almost completely wiped out), Garhi Habibullah, Rawalakot, and
       Muzaffarabad (near the epicenter) where 30,000 are thought to have
       died. The Pakistani Army spokesman, Major General Shaukat Sultan,
       told a press conference on 10 October that reports of damage in
       Rawalakot were exaggerated; 90 percent of the garrison city is
       still standing.
     * The quake triggered landslides, burying entire villages and roads
       in many areas of North-West Frontier Province and
       Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
     * Hundreds of thousands of buildings are thought to have collapsed or
       sustained severe damage.
     * One of two residential towers (Margalla Towers in F-10 sector,
       Islamabad), believed to contain up to sixty apartments each,
       collapsed in the earthquake in Islamabad. Pakistani government
       officials at the site stated the number of people affected by the
       collapse was in the hundreds, most of whom are feared dead. Efforts
       by rescue workers are ongoing. Over fifty-two people were rescued
       from the collapsed residential "Margalla Towers".
     * A team from the International Rescue Corps at the site said they
       located three more victims on the Sunday morning using audio
       detection equipment after the difficult task of arranging total
       silence at the crowded rescue site.
     * The Karakoram highway is blocked at several points, hindering
       relief efforts.
     * Damage to buildings and several casualties have been reported in
       surrounding provinces of Punjab and Balochistan.

India

     * 1,500 houses were destroyed in Uri. About 90% of the families
       living in the town, which has a population of 30,000, were affected
       by the quake. *More than 1,100 houses were flattened in Jammu and
       Kashmir. The main minaret of the Hazratbal shrine, which houses a
       relic of the Prophet Muhammad was damaged.
     * The 200-year-old Moti Mahal fort in Poonch district, Kashmir,
       collapsed.
     * Buildings in Delhi and Amritsar were damaged, and tremors caused
       panic in Gujarat.
     * The tremors were also felt in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Himachal
       Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
     * There were over 1300 dead.

Afghanistan

   Four deaths were reported in Afghanistan, including a young girl who
   died in Jalalabad after a wall collapsed on her. The quake was felt in
   Kabul, but the effects were minimal to a certain extent.

Rescue and relief operations

   Humanitarian aid reaches the devastated far flung areas of Northern
   Pakistan
   Enlarge
   Humanitarian aid reaches the devastated far flung areas of Northern
   Pakistan
   Pakistani Soldiers carry tents away from a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook
   helicopter here October 19. The United States is taking part in the
   multinational effort to provide humanitarian assistance and support to
   Pakistan and Afghanistan following the devastating October 8
   earthquake.
   Enlarge
   Pakistani Soldiers carry tents away from a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook
   helicopter here October 19. The United States is taking part in the
   multinational effort to provide humanitarian assistance and support to
   Pakistan and Afghanistan following the devastating October 8
   earthquake.
   Heavy snowfall in the region around the epicenter, shown here in a
   January 6, 2006 NASA satellite image, has hampered relief efforts since
   beginning shortly after the earthquake struck.
   Enlarge
   Heavy snowfall in the region around the epicenter, shown here in a
   January 6, 2006 NASA satellite image, has hampered relief efforts since
   beginning shortly after the earthquake struck.

   Relief efforts in many remote villages are hampered, as roads are
   buried in rubble and many affected areas remain inaccessible. Heavy
   equipment is needed to clear the roads and to rescue survivors buried
   under the earthquake wreckage, as many rescuers are still picking the
   rubble with pickaxes and their bare hands, looking for survivors.

   Rescue effort are also affected by the numerous aftershocks that
   continue to rattle the region and put rescue workers in danger as they
   search through the wreckage for survivors. Five crossing points are to
   be opened on the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan in
   the province of Kashmir. The first has been opened at Chakan Da Bagh in
   Poonch, the second at Kaman Post in Uri (on the road between Srinagar
   and Muzaffarabad) and the third across the Neelum river between
   Chiliana in Pakistan and Tithwal in India. These will facilitate the
   flow of relief goods and allow people to meet relatives across the Line
   of Control.

   In many areas there is no power, or adequate food or water; there is
   also the danger of disease spreading , including measles. Distributing
   relief supplies to the victims is especially urgent as the victims face
   the risk of exposure to cold weather due to the region's high altitude
   and the approaching winter. Food, medicine supplies, tents and blankets
   have been identified by relief workers as essential items. On October
   10, the United Nations warned that the earthquake left 2.5 million
   people homeless and they are in need of shelter. The UN made an appeal
   to raise US$272 million to help victims.

   On October 13, snow started to fall on the Indian side of Kashmir. Many
   regions are facing an increasing threat of being cut off from help as
   snow forces closures of even more roads in the mountainous region.

Pakistan

   In Northern Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the Pakistan
   Army has been directed to ask the concerned authorities to carry out an
   immediate assessment of the extent of damage caused by it. The
   Government of Pakistan opened President's Relief Fund for Earthquake
   relief operation, where donations can be made and also appealed for
   International Aid as the magnitude of the disaster becomes clear.
   Earthquake relief blankets, tents, medicine, warm clothes, food and
   many more supplies are needed. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)
   has offered free delivery of goods from anywhere in the world to
   Pakistan. Turkey has offered to airlift relief goods that arrive in
   Turkey to Pakistan free of cost. Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
   spoke on the telephone with authorities in four provinces plus Azad
   Kashmir, and directed them to utilize all machinery and make all
   possible efforts to help the victims. He said the entire federal
   administration, civil and military authorities have been alerted, and
   relief goods have been provided to them for the victims of the quake.
   Most of the roads are closed in the Northern Sector near the
   earthquake, and some have been completely washed out or blocked by
   landslides, so the Pakistani army is flying supplies in by helicopter.
   In Garhi Habibullah, a town 205 miles (328 km) from the devastated city
   of Balakot in north-west Pakistan, a few Kashmiri fighters known as the
   mujahideen put aside their weapons and spent two days in helping rescue
   dozens of girls who were trapped in a collapsed building of a girls'
   school. However, some terrorist groups operating in Kashmir continued
   to attack and kill Kashmiris in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir
   to prove that despite reports by India that claimed that terrorist
   training camps in Pakistan were destroyed, the militant network was
   still alive. On October 10, Monday, survivors were still being found
   and rescued from the wreckage including a 2-year-old girl in Islamabad.
   Then on Wednesday, a Russian rescue team rescued a 5-year-old girl in
   Muzaffarabad who has been trapped for nearly 100 hours. On October 14
   the Pakistan government agreed that unaccompanied children from the
   disaster should be taken to the SOS Children emergency shelter in
   Islamabad for family tracing in a central database and help and created
   a credit programme for affected families. They also agreed that SOS
   should be temporary guardian until relatives were traced. The Pakistani
   people from all regions and walks of life donated a huge amount of
   relief supplies in both goods and money for the earthquake victims
   which is unprecedented in the history of nations. The magnitude of this
   disaster is so vast that the Government alone cannot provide relief to
   the people affected by this earthquake. The response of the people of
   Pakistan to help the government in its relief efforts has been
   overwhelming in the shape of donations, relief goods and volunteers
   working in the hospitals and the earthquake hit areas. The injured are
   being ferried from remote areas to the hospitals of Rawalpindi and
   Islamabad through helicopters every day. The relatives of these injured
   patients follow them to the twin-cities by road and pursue a long and
   painful search for their loved ones. Devastated with heavy losses of
   human lives and homes, these poor people often travel on foot from one
   hospital to another looking for their injured loved ones. Three
   surgeons from Harley Street went out for a week to help with the
   victims of the earthquake and set up a field hospital in the town of
   Bagh.

   In late 2006, a staggering $20 billion development scheme was mooted by
   Pakistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the earth-quake hit
   zones in Azad Kashmir. A land use plan for Muzaffarabad city had been
   prepared by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

India

     * In the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the injured are being
       treated at Srinagar's SMHS hospital and the Uri Field Hospital,
       with many makeshift medical facilities being set up to help the
       injured. Hundreds of people have been brought in, many of them
       critically injured. In keeping with a traditional duty since
       independence, the Indian Army has undertaken a key role in
       coordinating and running relief operations.

     * Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Leader of the Opposition
       L.K. Advani visited quake-hit areas An ex gratia of Rs one lakh
       (100,000 Indian rupees, about US$2255) to the next of kin of those
       killed in the quake was being released from the Prime Minister's
       National Relief Fund.

     * As of 10 October 2005, many areas in the Baramulla district with
       about 15,000 people remain inaccessible. The army is attempting to
       reach these people using helicopters

International response

   Many countries, international organizations and non-governmental
   organizations have offered relief aid to the region, in the form of
   donation as well as relief supplies including food, medical supplies,
   tents and blankets.

   Rescue and relief workers were sent to the region from different parts
   of the world and they brought along rescue equipment, including
   helicopters and rescue dogs.

   The United Nations has appealed for donations to raise at least US$272
   million to help victims of the quake.
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