Asia quake death toll hits 30,000

The death toll after yesterday’s powerful earthquake in South Asia has now risen to about 30,000 in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir alone. The latest official figure is much higher than earlier estimates, and does not include the hundreds of deaths in other parts of Pakistan and India. Tens of thousands have been injured.

As rescuers continue to pull bodies from collapsed buildings, Islamabad described the quake as the biggest catastrophe in Pakistan’s history. Although 83 people were freed from an apartment block in the Pakistani capital, many of the worst hit areas are still inaccessible. And the type of machinery needed is just not available. Around the quake’s epi-centre, in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, whole villages have been reduced to rubble, and the main town of Muzaffarabad has suffered severe damage.

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