Earthquake death toll rises to 79,000 (AP) Updated: 2005-10-19 19:32
In Indian-held Kashmir, the new tremors startled thousands of people in
relief camps, including those in the worst-hit Uri and Tangdar districts close
to the boundary with Pakistan-held territory. Police said there were no reports
of landslides or damage to buildings.
Hundreds of aftershocks have struck the region since the Oct. 8 quake.
"They're not over," said Waverly Person, a seismologist at the U.S. quake
center. "For a shallow-depth earthquake like this they go on, sometimes for a
year."
In Balakot, villagers scavenged for food, clothes or building material.
"We need help," said resident Basim Qassir. "There's been deliveries, but
it's just not enough."
On a tour of Balakot, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said he expected
reconstruction of the area to take years, and that the government would try to
get prefabricated homes for victims.
In Beijing, the U.N.'s top relief coordinator on Wednesday said the
international community was not doing enough to help and should step up relief
efforts.
|