Relief in full swing as aid pouring in

MIRPUR (AJK)—Hectic relief and rescue activities are underway in quake hit areas including Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot, Bagh and other parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir here Wednesday. Relief and rescue teams who started arriving in the area, after the opening of the roads were working round the clock despite badly effected infrastructure. Saturday’s severe earthquake destroyed many parts of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hazara division, and Haripur district besides others parts of the Northern region.
The Army helicopters were rushing injured, rescued from the debris, and shifting them to hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, besides providing relief goods to the effected areas including Rawalakot, Bagh and others parts of AJK. The telecommunications system is still disrupted whereas electricity, water supply remain out of order. The rescue teams from government, army, NGOs and local people are continuously working and digging out the people from debris, shifting injured to hospitals for treatment. The foreign teams from Germany, Britain, and Japan are providing medical treatment and searching for people still alive under the rubble. The relief teams of Edhi, Ansar Burni, NGOs political and religious parties and many others have set up medical and relief camps in the affected areas including Bagh, Rawlakot and Azad Jammu and Kashmir areas. Senator Muhammad Ali Barohi of MQM and AJK representative Tahir Khokar are monitoring the relief works of their camps. The Ansar Burni told APP correspondent that his organization has set up relief camps in the area and two trucks of relief goods arrived so far. The Ansar Burni relief team was distributing the goods among the effected people of earthquake.
Earlier, the trucks carrying necessary materials for the earthquake victims were looted by some. However, the government relief teams were reaching the effected areas to evacuate the people from the debris and shifted the injured persons to the hospitals for treatment.
Around 3.3 million people spread over an area of 20,000 square kilometre were worst affected by October 8 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, said Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Shaukat Sultan. Briefing media persons on the relief and rescue operations being carried out in the quake devastated areas, he said, around 50,000 troops besides a large number of volunteers are engaged in the relief and rescue operations. “We are trying to reach every place which is worst hit during the quake,” he said.
He said so far 23,000 deaths have been confirmed and the toll could increase further. There are 51,000 injured in the quake, he added. Giving the breakup of the total affectees, Major Gen. Shaukat Sultan said, around 1.3 million people were affected in NWFP while two million in Azad Jammau and Kashmir. Major General Shaukat Sultan said, the towns and adjoining areas which have been badly affected included, Mansehra, Balakot, Batagram, Shinkiyari, Garhi Habibullah, in NWFP. The worst hit among these is Balakot. The cities of Azad Jammu and Kashmir are Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawalakot, Batika, Garhi Dopatta, Hattian, Chakkar, Harcha, and Harigate. He said so far 430 deaths of soldiers of Pakistan Army have been confirmed while over 700 were injured.
He said the relief and rescue efforts are in the full swing as Chaklala Airbase has been declared the focal point of rescue and relief activity. “Our efforts yesterday and today are to go beyond the towns and cities so that we could reach into the valley, where we have not been able to go earlier,” he said. He said 27 tonnes of ration, 15 tonnes of medicine, 9.9 tonnes of water, 9270 blankets and 937 tents have been transported through helicopters to the affected areas. As far as, by road transportation of relief goods is concerned, he said, so far 88 tonnes of ration, 5 tonnes of medicine, 14 tonnes water, 10223 blankets and 2919 tents have been supplied in the quake hit parts. Major General Shaukat Sultan said, the choppers of Pakistan Army Aviation had immediately moved to Muzaffarabad on Saturday — the day of quake. “The choppers had left for Muzaffarabad within 20 minutes of the quake for relief and rescue,” he said.
On the day, he said, 12 helicopters flew for 48 hours and rescued 595 injured from Muzaffarabad. The next day, he said 26 helicopters undertook 138 hours collective flights and carried 6.5 tonnes of relief goods and evacuated 165 injured. The next day, which was the third day of quake, he said, 30 helicopters took part in the operation and undertook 133 hours flight. These carried 6 tonnes of relief goods while rescued 480 injured. On the fourth day, he said, seven US choppers joined the fleet of existing 30 choppers and these undertook 65 hours flight and transported 27 tonnes of relief goods and rescued 497 injured. He said the operation time was lessened due to the bad weather in the quake hit areas. He said on the fifth day, 45 choppers were taking part in the operation as the fleet has been enhanced after the joining of choppers from Germany and Afghanistan.—APP