Harsh Winter Arrives In Quake-Hit Areas

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Pakistani Kashmiri earthquake survivors stand on top of collapsed building in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, 12 November 2005. India and Pakistan opened a third crossing point on the disputed Kashmir border to facilitate the flow of aid to earthquake victims as fresh rain and snow hit the Himalayan region. AFP photo by Asif Hassan.

Islamabad (AFP) Nov 11, 2005
Pakistan on Friday officially declared the onset of "harsh" winter in areas devastated by last month's massive earthquake as the government struggled to provide shelter to survivors, officials said.

Pakistan's Meteorological Department said heavy rain had fallen and forecast thunderstorms with snow over mountains above 8,000 feetmeters) in North Western Frontier Province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Saturday and Sunday.

Both regions were devastated by the October 8 earthquake with disaster relief officials trying to provide shelter to survivors there before the weather turned any worse.

Relief commissioner major general Farooq Ahmed Khan told reporters it was a race against time but hoped enough work had already been done to save many from the wet and freezing temperatures.

Khan said 73,318 people had been killed by the 7.6 magnitude quake and 69,392 had been seriously injured with another 58,896 injured.

"These figures will probably rise," Khan said, explaining it was still unknown, one month after the disaster, how many people remained buried under piles of rubble.

The government estimated Friday the cost of the quake at around 5.2 billion dollars.

"The overall cost of the earthquake is around 5.2 billion dollars, out of which reconstruction is 3.5 billion dollars, relief is about a billion and early recovery and livelihood programmes are around 400 million dollars," said the prime minister's economics advisor Salman Shah.

The estimates were based on a joint assessment by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and international aid agencies, he said.

A final assessment will be presented to an international donor's meeting in Islamabad on November 19, he said.

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DISASTER MANAGEMENT

India And Pakistan Open Kashmir Border For Quake Aid

Kashmir, Line Of Control (AFP) Nov 07, 2005
Pakistan and India Monday opened their frontier in Kashmir for earthquake relief, but police had to fire tear gas to disperse protesters who were banned from taking part in the symbolic crossing.

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