Many family homes in northern Pakistan have been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake that struck the region on Monday. Villagers in Pir Baba
ADVERTISEMENTMany family homes in northern Pakistan have been reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake that struck the region on Monday.
Villagers in Pir Baba, in the country’s Buner district of the Swat Valley, appealed to the government for help but many villages are so remote that they can only be reached on foot or by donkey.
“After the earthquake, army personnel came to us, I want to make an appeal to the army and the government to help us rebuild our houses,” explained local resident Sultan Zareen Khan. “Our kids are facing big problems, we are helpless and last night we stayed under the open sky and the next night is coming.”
Bakht Raj Khan said: “When I reached my home one of my nephews was stuck and died under the rubble. [Also stuck under the rubble were] other house stuff and animals. A lot of people were gathered here and they rescued my family and others.”
The magnitude 7.5 quake struck the remote Hindu Kush mountains that stretch between northern Afghanistan and Pakistan. As the death toll passed 376, rescuers struggled to reach those affected by the massive quake. With the icy winter weather closing in, it’s a race against time.