Widespread destruction from South Asia quake

Depending on the severity of the economic and humanitarian damage caused by this quake, political leaders in both Kabul and Islamabad could face unexpected challenges. Officials said 202 of the dead were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Afghan officials said 7,630 homes, 12 schools, 17 mosques and 20 office buildings were damaged across nine provinces.

“Nearly all damaged buildings and houses have been spotted”. “We will try our best to deal with this disaster using our own resources”, he said. He warned that the numbers were expected to rise.

He said food and other essential aid were ready to go but “getting there is not easy”.

Badakhshan province, Hindu Kush region, Kunar and Nuristan provinces are the hardest hit in the mountainous country. It is often hit by earthquakes, but casualty figures are usually low because it is so sparsely populated, with fewer than 1 million people spread across its vast mountains and valleys.

In the past, the Pakistani people had also been very generous in their contributions to those affected by earthquakes and floods, noted the high commissioner.

“Our houses are destroyed”.

BBC News reported on Tuesday that that rescue teams are still trying to get to remote mountainous areas in the region and assess its impact, dealing with blocked roads and cut off communication. More than 260 people died.

Dr Muhammad Sadiq, the head of emergency services at a government hospital in Peshawar, said the injured were still being brought in and many were still under rubble.

The bulk of the casualties recorded so far were in Pakistan, where 241 people were killed, including 196 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and more than 1,600 injured, disaster management authorities said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was completing a trip to the USA, said in a televised comment from London that he planned to fly to the quake-affected region today.

Pakistani army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa, said Pakistani helicopters and military planes are being used to transport relief supplies and military engineers are working to restore communications.

The Sri Lankan government Tuesday extended condolences and offered support to those who were affected in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan by the massive quake that hit Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday. The quake damaged almost 2,000 homes in the area, he said. Following the quake, the Afghan Red Crescent deployed its volunteers and staff to the affected areas to provide emergency relief and conduct needs assessments.

The quake shook buildings in the Afghan capital of Kabul early on Monday afternoon for up to 45 seconds, creating cracks in walls and shutting down power.