Hopes getting bleak for survivors

PESHAWAR—As chances of life under debris and rubble are getting bleak with every passing hour, Pakistan Army is concentrating more on the rehabilitation of the victims in the earthquake hit areas of NWFP, according to ISPR press release, Wednesday.
In the relief and rehabilitation efforts, some new aid teams have arrived to assist Pakistan Army to cope with massive challenge of restoring normalcy in the calamity hit areas.
The team of Red Crescent International Society which has recently arrived in the area, has opened rehabilitation centre at Cadet College Batrasi. Joint team of Japan and Switzerland and another French team ‘Medicine Sans Frontier’ have set up emergency OPD at Mansehra Kawai and Naran.
Ukraine has opened 100 bed hospital at Besham whereas surgical teams of World Health Organization (WHO) are operating at Nawazabad and Allai areas. UAE has upgraded its hospital from 50 beds to 200 beds at Balakot and complicated casualties are being shifted to UAE.
Poland is upgrading its rehabilitation hospital at Mansehra upto 200 beds. Army Medical Corps and other foreign agencies are carrying out vaccination against tetanus, measles and hepatitis. Current population census and survey of primary health is being undertaken in the affected areas.
Army Corps of Signals has assisted Mobilink to re-establish its services in Balakot and extend its operations to Garhi Habibullah. Warid telecom is also planning to start limited mobile services in Mansehra and surrounding areas with the help of satellite based system.
Army Corps of Signals is also assisting PTCL to re-establish damaged communication network in Balakot and adjacent areas. Communication up to Balakot has already been restored and ahead of Balakot upto Naran is likely to be established within next few days.
Army Engineers started work on Sachakalan-Nawazabad and Jabori-Sacha Kalan roads blocked by landslides due to earthquake on Wednesday morning. These roads were opened by the evening.
Army Engineers are also working round the clock to reopen roads in the earthquake affected areas of NWFP. So far slides have been cleared from 53 kilometers out of 88 kilometers long Thakot-Darband track. 44 kilometers long section of Garhi Habibullah-Balakot road leading to hutments and small villages in the heights have been cleared.—PR