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Quake toll 947 in India, 40,000 in Pakistan
by Bilal Butt

     Srinagar/Islamabad: The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir is inching towards the 1,000 mark, while in Pakistan, it is being estimated that about 40,000 people have died so far. Officials sources speaking on the sidelines of a third consecutive day and night of rescue and relief operations said that as of now the number of deaths in India is 947. Over 4,000 people have been injured and some 30,000 houses were damaged, they added. They further added that rescue operations are yet to reach several villages where people are spending a third night in the open. In Tangdhar alone, there are 350 dead. After Baramulla where the maximum casualties have occurred, Kupwara district has registered the deaths of 301 people, mostly in areas along the Line of Control, an official said. Six have died in Srinagar and one in Budgam district while 20 have perished in Jammu. The toll is expected to go up as officials were yet to reach inaccessible areas, a spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir said.

     Meanwhile, the army and air force is continuing with their intensive relief and rescue operations in the state, having evacuated 148 civilians and 58 soldiers from quake-hit areas so far, and dropped food and relief material to provide succour to the remaining survivors. A defence spokesman said that the civilians and soldiers from Uri and Tangdhar were evacuated to Srinagar by helicopters taking the total number of people rescued so far to more than 350. Ration and medical supplies were being sent by road and through helicopters, he said, adding 15 tonnes of medical supplies and 50 tonnes of ration had been dispatched to Uri and Tangdhar. So far, over 1085 kg of medicines and 900 kg of food items had been airlifted to affected areas, the spokesman said. Over 7500 food packets had been airdropped and makeshift shelters set up in different areas to enable people to spend the night, he said. Aerial reconnaissance and patrols had covered 80 per cent of villages in remote areas providing essential commodities and relief to the affected people, the spokesman said. Home Secretary VK Duggal has said that the telephone lines in Kashmir have been largely restored but remote areas like Tangdhar in Uri district may have to wait until Tuesday.

Indian relief materials for quake-hit Pakistan  (Go To Top)
by N.Bhadran Nair

     New Delhi: India will airlift today the first consignment of 25 tonnes of relief material to quake-hit Pakistan in what is considered as the first humanitarian assistance from New Delhi to Islamabad. The decision to provide relief material such as tents, plastic sheets, blankets, matresses, food items and a variety of medicines and other medical supplies was taken after a meeting Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday evening. India had also offered to send medical teams and medicines directly to the affected areas which were closer to the Line of Control (LoC) and easier to access from this side, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters. Pakistan, however, has not accepted this part of the offer, and in turn offered assistance to New Delhi on the Indian side of Kashmir. Asked whether the assistance was being airlifted to Islamabad, Saran said it would be delivered wherever Pakistan wanted. Further, India had agreed to allow Pakistani helicopters come close to the LOC to provide relief to the affected people. Normally, helicopters were not allowed to come close to the LOC, the Foreign Secretary said. More relief would be provided to Pakistan, depending upon requirements, he said.

PoK for Indian forces to help in quake relief  (Go To Top)

     Washington: Pakistan's reluctance to accept India's hand for a joint rescue and relief operations in the quake hit areas, notwithstanding, Kashmiri leaders in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have said that a joint operation by the Indian and Pakistani forces would expedite rescue efforts. Abdul Majid Mallick, the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation League has said that the massive quake near Muzaffarabad has provided India and Pakistan with a golden opportunity to extend a hand of help to each other, and both countries should jointly organize the rescue operations. He said that the close proximity of the Indian troops to several affected areas in PoK would not only provide logistical help in the rescue operations but also form a close bonding between the forces. Pakistan earlier on Monday, had accepted India's offer of aid for earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan occupied Kashmir on a "very urgent basis". Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam said that India would send a shipment of tents, food, medicine, and other aid. She however said that a joint rescue and relief operation has been ruled out as "there was no population" right on the Line of Control (LoC), reports The Independent.

PM visits quake-hit J and K (Go To Top)
by Bilal Butt

     Srinagar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday announced that his government would be releasing an additional amount of Rs.500 crore (111 million dollars) as relief for the victims and survivors of the October 8 earthquake. The Prime Minister made the announcement after visiting some of the earthquake-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday morning. He was being accompanied by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Urban development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. The Rs.500 crore is in addition to the Rs.142 crore (32 million dollars) already sanctioned for release by the government in the last three days. The Prime Minister also announced that an inter-ministerial team of officials and experts will be touring the devastated parts of Jammu and Kashmir to make a quick on the spot assessment of the damage, and to recommend further relief and rehabiltation measures.

     With the death toll from the October 8 earthquake rising to 947 and the number of injured touching the 4,300 mark, the Prime Minister, who left for Tangdhar soon after his arrival, is expected to be briefed on the situation on ground as well as the status of the ongoing relief operations being carried out jointly by the armed forces and the civilian administration. Dr. Singh visited the worst affected areas of Uri in north Kashmir. Sources said he will also visit the base hospital in the Badamibagh Cantonment and the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) where about 50 injured persons, mostly children, are admitted. Prime Minister`s visit follows a day-long tour of the affected areas by Sonia Gandhi on Sunday. The Centre has already announced interim relief of Rs 100 crore to the state government for relief and rehabilitation measures, in addition to Rs 42 crore from the National Calamity Fund for Rehabilitation of the Earthquake Victims.