My Reflections

It is an unfortunate disaster which led many to suffer. I think that if the government paid more attention to the constructions of the buildings, ensure that they are stable so that they would not topple over during an earthquake. There should also be an alarm to warn everyone of an earthquake, so that the death toll would minimize. I feel sad that the people had no homes but grateful that there were relief workers to help them.

Pakistan Earthquake of magnitude 7.6

The Kashmir earthquake was a major earthquake centered in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province, which occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005. It registered a debatable 7.6 or 7.7 on the Richter. As of 8 November, the government of Pakistan's official death toll was 79,000, while officials say nearly 1,400 people also died in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and 4 people in Afghanistan. The severity of the damage caused by the quake was attributed to severe upthrust, coupled with poor construction.

The quake left an estimated 3.3million homeless in Pakistan and that 8 million people were directly affected, prior to the commencement of winter snowfall in the Himalayan region. It is estimated that damages incurred are well over 300 billion Pakistani rupees.

The collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates caused the earthquake. Due to the quake, there were a total of 74,500+ dead and 106,000+ injured.

Relief efforts in many remote villages were loaded, as roads were buried in rubble and many affected areas were inaccessible. Heavy equipments were needed to clear the roads and to rescue survivors buried under the earthquake wreckage, as many rescuers were picking the rubble with their bare hands, looking for survivors.

Five crossing points were opened on the Line of Control between India and Pakistan in the province of Kashmir. These facilitated the flow of relief goods and allowed people to meet relatives across the Line of Control.

Food, medicine supplies, tents and blankets were identified by relief workers as essential items. The earthquake left 2.5 million people homeless and they were in need of shelter. The United Nations made an appeal to raise US$272 million to help victims.