Experts have long

been warning of the

danger of serious
earthquakes in South
Asia - and say more
are likely. Many have
struck along the
southern flanks of the
Himalayas over past
centuries - but not
enough to account for
all the steady, northward
movement of India into
Asia.
 The earthquake in Pakistan is the result of
India's long-term, gradual, geological movement
north into Asia at a speed of five centimetres a
year - a millimetre per week.
Earthquakes happen when energy stored up
along geological faults, like the Himalayan
thrust, is suddenly released.
The trouble is, the more time passes without
seismic release, the more energy accumulates,
making a giant earthquake more likely.
The latest earthquake fits in with the scientists'
expectations but, at 7.6 on the Richter scale, is
relatively weak compared to what they feared.
Overview: Quake aftermath

Officials say the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck

close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered
Kashmir on 8 October 2005 caused nearly 75,000
deaths and devastation that may take a decade to
repair.
Pakistan has confirmed more than 73,000 deaths, most of
them in Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India says
nearly 1,400 have died in the sector it administers. Tens
of thousands were injured and up to three million left
homeless.
The World Food Programme says some 500,000 people in
remote areas have received no aid at all. One of the
biggest problems is meeting the demand for tents that
can provide shelter as the cold weather worsens. Fears
are mounting of a second wave of deaths from untreated
injuries and exposure.
Impact: Pakistan-administered Kashmir was the region
hardest hit, with much of the capital, Muzaffarabad,
destroyed. The head of United Nations relief operations, Jan
Egeland, said he had never seen such devastation. The town
of Bagh was badly affected and the impact in some remote
villages remains unknown. Nearby Rawalakot suffered some
damage, although most schools and colleges there were
closed for a public holiday and casualties were not so high.

Landslides blocked roads and there was extensive damage

to electricity, water and telephone infrastructure and all the
city's hospitals.
Toll: The death toll in Pakistan-administered Kashmir alone
may exceed 40,000, with some 70,000 injured, regional
prime minister, Sikander Hayat Khan, said shortly after the
quake. Federal figures now suggest that may have been an
underestimate.
Aid: Muzaffarabad is the hub of the aid operation in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Substantial amounts of aid
have now arrived although it took several days to clear key
routes on the mountainous roads. Helicopters are operating
out of the city but have been grounded by bad weather for
hours at a time.
Many of the city's 600,000 residents have had to sleep
outside in the cold. A sports stadium is being used to house
the homeless, care for survivors and distribute food and
water.
There have been numerous reports of looting. Medecins
Sans Frontiers are warning of a potential water-borne
disease epidemic.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/south_asia_pakistan_and
_india_earthquake/html/1.stm

In pictures: Battling time

In pictures: Aid arrives
Rescue task pictures
Muzaffarabad photos
Quake aftermath
Hundreds of
earthquake survivors
living in camps in
Pakistani-administered
Kashmir have acute
diarrhoea, World Health
Organization officials
say. Doctors are
investigating whether the
outbreak has been
caused by cholera.
They have their own parades, rigorous
training and dedicated doctors. They are
treated as fully fledged soldiers.
Some villagers used to laugh at how much
time the army spent on them.
But now the mules of the Pakistani army are
proving saviours for some of the tens of
thousands of quake survivors still stuck atop
inaccessible mountains.
Nine days after the killer quake struck
Kashmir and parts of northern Pakistan, the
army mobilised its animal transport units
(ATUs), or what's left of them, to reach
inaccessible areas - sometimes without any
human assistance.
These units of specially trained mules have
been a critical link in the logistics serving
the Pakistan army
Map of earthquake zone
Heavy rain and snowfall
are badly hampering
relief efforts in Kashmir,
where three million
people were left
homeless by an
earthquake in October.
Roads have been closed
and helicopters grounded
by bad weather and
landslides. Survivors' tents
have been flooded.