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Pak officially puts quake toll at 47,700

     Islamabad: Pakistan has officially put the death toll in the October 8 earthquake at 47,700. Pakistan's national disaster response chief Major General Farooq Ahmad said that the number of people injured has also risen to 67,000. "The casualty figure has risen to 47,700 dead and is expected to rise. Injured are over 67,000," he said. The last official death toll for October 8's quake was 41,000, given on Monday by Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao. Gen. Khan appealed for artificial limbs and portable X-ray units to treat the injured and rehabilitate those left crippled by the disaster. "Many of the victims suffered fractures and the X-rays are needed to assess injuries and provide immediate care in the affected areas," he said, adding, that 100 teams of counsellors have also been rushed to quake-hit areas "who would like to talk and counsel the tramatized people," reports The News. Gen. Khan further said that Pakistan would need substantially more than the five billion dollars to rebuild shattered infrastructure in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and northern Pakistan. "Overall it is going to be a much larger purse when we look at it in a holistic fashion. Five billions are only required for rehabilitating infrastructure but much more will be needed for reconstruction of villages and towns," he added.