"Bad weather stopped flight operations in the affected areas," a spokesman for the army's relief effort in Pakistani Kashmir, Major Farooq Nasir, told AFP.

"Relief operations by air have been hampered but the ground relief is going on," he said. "Roads are still open and so far there is no information of any landslides causing blockades."

Pakistani troops, local and international aid agencies are engaged in a race against time to provide relief and shelter to millions of survivors of last month's devastating earthquake, which killed more than 73,000 people.

Another 70,000 people were seriously injured in the 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, the worst calamity in the country's history. It flattened villages and towns, leaving some 3.5 million homeless, officials said.

Meteorological department chief Qamaruz Zaman said the rain had started on Saturday, and was continuing sporadically in northern Pakistan and parts of Kashmir on Sunday.

"It is widespread rain in the valleys, while mountains above 8,000 feet (2,425 meters) have so far received up to one foot of snowfall," Zaman told AFP.

"We predicted snowfall in the end of November, and it is the beginning of the harsh weather now."

An AFP photographer in Muzaffarabad said snow was visible on the mountains above the quake-ruined capital of Pakistani Kashmir, where thousands are living in tent villages.

People were seen placing plastic sheeting over their tents to keep the rain water out. Inside their tents, men, women and children circled around fires to keep warm.

Relief agencies have warned that the harsh Himalayan winter could lead to more deaths in the worst-hit districts of Muzaffarabad, Neelam Valley Bagh and Rawalakot.

"We are expecting a harsher winter this year," Zaman cautioned, saying heavy snows were likely to continue disrupting aid airdrops.

"Our bases are well stocked. We are prepared to continue the relief work and there is no shortage," countered Nasir.

"We are advising people to come down from the mountains and pick up whatever they need," the major said, adding that people living below 5,000 feet have started coming down.

All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

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