- Title: PAKISTAN: Relief efforts continue in Pakistan's earthquake stricken region
- Date: 22nd October 2005
- Summary: VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS LOADING WHEAT BAGS DONATED BY US ONTO MULES VALLEY AND MOUNTAINNS VARIOUS OF MULES ALONG TRACK IN MOUNTAINS SURROUNDING MUZAFFARABAD DONKEYS LADEN WITH AID SACKS MAKING THEIR WAY UP MOUNTAIN PATH
- Embargoed: 6th November 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Pakistan
- City:
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVAEDH43UX39WZOPMDGMKOYRZ1ZI
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Relief efforts for the needy in Pakistan's earthquake stricken region have continued. In the village of Ghari Dupatta, some 25 km from Muzaffarabad people were searching through piles of clothes donated by the Pakistani community which were spread out spread out at a local cricket stadium. On Friday (October 21) the Canadian army's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) unit set up a water purification system and a walk in clinic as the danger of diseases spread. "The scale of the injuries, from lacerations up to broken bones, gangrene setting in at this stage. There are a number of concerns that the medical staff are looking at. Also you have to be concerned at the outbreak of disease from poor sanitary conditions or whatever. This has all been taken into account and we are here to stop some areas that we are able to assist in from coming about," said Canadian Army Captain Cheryl Swarbrick. With roads still blocked by landslides two weeks after catastrophic earthquake in northern Pakistan and winter coming on, mules are one of few ways to get emergency supplies to cut-off mountain villages. Each mule can carry 100 kg (220 pounds), but like everything else in the disaster zone, they are in short supply. On Saturday (October 22), the The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) delivered wheat to remote villages high above the city of Muzaffarabad. "It's very difficult to find ways to reach some of these villages. We are doing helicopter drops - we will probably start them in about three days. There are no roads up here and for the moment this is the only way," said WFP Spokesperson Mia Turner. In Muzaffarabad more and more shops are opening again and power is slowly returning to more areas but business remains slow. "With all the aid pouring in people are less interested in buying things. My business is slow," shop-owner Kamran Maqbool Hamad said. Two weeks after the quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Pakistan and some 1,300 in Indian Kashmir, hundreds of thousands of survivors are still waiting for help in the rugged mountains of northern Pakistan. Both governments have been criticised for letting their distrust obstruct the opening up of new routes to get relief supplies through to the Neelum and Jhelum valleys near the Line of Control. Pakistan is accepting aid from India, but refuses to let Indian troops join the rescue work on Pakistani soil. Pakistan needs more helicopters to drop aid and bring out casualties, but New Delhi turned down its request for helicopters without crews.
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