Pakistan Suffers Major Earthquake

Quake toll tops 30,000

Monday, October 10, 2005; Posted: 12:44 p.m. EDT (16:44 GMT)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Searchers were working into the night Monday in an attempt to find more survivors of Pakistan's worst earthquake. The death toll surpassed 30,000, and tempers flared over the pace of relief efforts.

Aid groups and the international community have responded to calls for assistance, but with much of the quake zone virtually inaccessible and bad weather impeding travel, help was slow reaching the most-affected areas.

Many survivors of Saturday's quake have been wading through mountains of rubble in search of survivors, food and clean water.

"We have just opened up the roads with the day and night efforts of the army," Pakistani presidential spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told CNN.

"We are now trying to reach those areas that we haven't been able to reach so far."

With as many as 5 million people left homeless and living in the open -- and freezing temperatures -- since the quake, Sultan said rescue and recovery teams and aid from many countries were on their way "to the most affected areas."

Government, police and hospital officials estimated Pakistan's death toll at 30,000 but said that number was sure to rise.

Faiza Janmohammad, country director of Mercy Corps, said Pakistan's death toll was about 40,000, but the source of her information was not clear.

And Islamic Relief spokesman Waseem Yaqhoob told CNN he thought the deaths would reach "80,000, maybe more."

"This could get very close to tsunami levels," he said. "It's horrific. It really is terrible."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" on Sunday that another 43,000 people were injured in the quake.

Regarding the casualty figures, he said, "They will certainly go up."

The 7.6-magnitude quake was felt across South Asia -- from central Afghanistan to western Bangladesh -- shaking three nations and bringing down a large apartment building in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

The epicenter of the quake was in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which sits in the Himalayan foothills 60 miles (96 kilometers) northeast of Islamabad.

The Pakistani army hospital in Muzaffarabad suffered heavy damage, and mass burials were being held on Monday.

There also are reports of looting in Muzaffarabad.

"They've lost everything. They have no clothes, no food, nothing," resident Asim Butt told Reuters. "People have started looting things from shops."

Also badly hit was Pakistan's North-West Frontier province, where many villages were completely leveled and roads destroyed, making travel all but impossible.

CNN's Matthew Chance, reporting Monday from the city of Balakot in the North-West Frontier province, described a "scene of utter devastation," saying nearly every building in the tourist town of 250,000, had been destroyed. (Eyewitness accounts)

People picked through the rubble with pick axes and their bare hands, looking for family and friends, Chance said, adding there were only four doctors to serve the thousands of injured.

Relief and rescue workers have yet to reach 30 percent to 40 percent of the affected areas, a military spokesman, Brig. Shah Jahan, said.

The United Nations has warned that more than 2.5 million people are in need of shelter following the earthquake, The Associated Press reported.

Across wide areas there is no power, or adequate food or water. Pakistanis have camped out in the streets overnight, fearful of returning home because of aftershocks, one of which measured 6.2 in magnitude.

Many survivors have been critical of the government's relief operation. They say thousands still need help, and with only a trickle of aid, angry Kashmiris were blocking roads and demanding relief.

Meeting with victims, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has appealed for patience and calm. "For heaven's sake bear with us. There are certain limitations. We are trying our best,'' he said.

Government officials are focusing on getting help to dig survivors from the rubble, take them to hospitals and begin repairing the region's shattered infrastructure.

Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister, has appealed to the international community to send heavy-lift helicopters as well as tents, blankets, medicine and "hundreds of millions of dollars."

Nations come forward

Planes packed with supplies are arriving, while rescue teams are being dispatched to help those who have been left injured, homeless or stranded. (Full story)

Late Sunday, the White House announced the United States would provide initial aid of up to $50 million for reconstruction and relief efforts in Pakistan. (Full story)

U.S. President George W. Bush has become an ally of Pakistan, using the nation's help since the September 11 attacks on America, and he was quick to come forward with help.

The United States is sending five CH-47 Chinook helicopters and three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Afghanistan, the Central Command said in a written statement.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said ties to Pakistan "are made even closer by the large population of British citizens who trace their origin to the Kashmir region. Such ties make the growing number of casualties even harder to bear."

A second emergency team from Britain arrived Sunday in Islamabad, the Foreign Office said, bringing fire brigades and search dogs.

European Union Commissioner Louis Michel said he was sending $4.4 million in emergency relief aid to the region.

The United Nations has been coordinating relief efforts from the international airport in Islamabad, said Jan Egeland, U.N. undersecretary for humanitarian affairs.

But the need is staggering, Egeland added, with the number of homeless rivaling those left without shelter after last year's tsunami in South Asia.

"There will be need for hundreds of thousands of tents and emergency shelter for all the people who have lost everything," he said.

Military tensions aside

Political tensions between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region appeared to take a back seat as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Musharraf and offered help.

The two nations have fought three wars -- two of them over Kashmir -- since independence from British rule in 1947.

"We have offered all possible assistance for rescue and relief measures," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told CNN from New Delhi.

Musharraf said he thanked the Indian leader for the offer. "Whatever we need, we will certainly ask," he said, though he noted that there is "a little bit of sensitivity there."

2005: Year of the Disaster

As much as I hate pakistan, this sucks, and shouldn't have happened. Apparently India agrees.

What the hell is with all the massive natural disasters this year? I can't remember a single year I've been alive when this many people got killed by earthquakes and shit.

yes indeed

the tsunami was in late december, but it still seems that this year smacks of the apocolypse

you would think people would have had a major realization about priorities.

The US has promised $50m for relief operations and Kuwait pledged $100m.

Six helicopters have now arrived in Pakistan from the US airbase in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The US ambassador to Islamabad, Ryan Crocker, said planes with US relief supplies were forming a "virtual air bridge" into Pakistan.

The country has said it will accept aid from India, but has ruled out a joint rescue operation along their frontier dividing the disputed territory of Kashmir.

:nope:

Pakistan has asked the United Nations to take the lead in co-ordinating the international response, the body's relief co-ordinator says.

Jan Egeland said hundreds of thousands, if not millions, had been left homeless.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4327116.stm

"We know that every hour counts in an earthquake of this magnitude," he said.

May Allah make it easy on them and cause their hardship and grief in this life to be a source of happiness and ease in thr next life, Ameen

Looks like allah got around to punishing the muslims finally, just in time for ramada... yippy-kay-aye!!!

if katrina was a blessing from allah...

then this earth quake was a blessing from jesus.

Originally posted by John Birch@Oct 11 2005, 04:46 AM

Looks like allah got around to punishing the muslims finally, just in time for ramada... yippy-kay-aye!!!

Quoted post

Allah says...hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their hearts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses) if you understand. (Aali Imran 3:118)

Have some respect. I swear the internet makes punks into men from around my way who usually wouldn't have a THING to say.

It's not even remotely right to be happy about the devastation that these people are suffering. May Allah give you what you deserve, you coward! When katrina hit, and rita, and when Florida got smashed last year, the muslims in my community were saying prayers for the victims and sending relief, and you come on a public forum and express your happiness for something like this??, YOU ARE A SCUMBAG! May Allah guide you or shatter your backbone into a billion pieces, Ameen.

BTW. Jesus is not God. He was a prophet and a messenger, but not God.

how many people have put dawood on ignore?

i know i have. :clown2:

Originally posted by Dawood@Oct 11 2005, 09:18 PM

May Allah guide you or shatter your backbone into a billion pieces, Ameen.

 

 

Quoted post

hahahahaha :rolleyes:

actually dawood, jesus is part of 'the holy trinity' in christian theology

and part of his divine mystery is that he was at once a divine God and also human.

it would be ignorant to deny that muslims called katrina allah's good work

if it gets dished out, expect it to be thrown back.

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 8:52 p.m. EDT

Kuwaiti Official: Katrina Sent from Allah

In reaction to Hurricane Katrina and the destruction in its wake, a high-ranking Kuwaiti official, Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, who is director of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Endowment's research center, published an article titled "The Terrorist Katrina is One of the Soldiers of Allah, But Not an Adherent of Al-Qaeda."

The article appeared August 31, 2005 in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, and was translated by the Mid-East monitoring service MEMRI.org.

AND...from wikipedia...

Various religious leaders have suggested that Hurricane Katrina was sent as a divine retribution for the City of New Orleans, or the Southern United States, or for the United States as a whole. A variety of past actions are blamed, from the legalization of abortion and homosexuality to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq to the creation of reality television, and future changes in political policy are recommended.

* Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi here credits Allah; Allah's reason: Unspecified

"I do not think – and only Allah [really] knows – that this wind, which completely wiped out American cities in these days, is a wind of mercy and blessing. It is almost certain that this is a wind of torment and evil that Allah has sent to this American empire."

* Avner Bosky here credits God; God's reason: U.S. Pressure for Israel to withdraw from Gaza

"What happens in Israel affects the rest of the world, and how any country treats Israel has a lot to do with how God treats that country. We are praying, deeply concerned and grieved about the onset of Katrina."

* Fred Phelps here credits God; God's reason: Homosexuals

"New Orleans, symbol of America, seen for what it is: a putrid, toxic, stinking cesspool of fag fecal matter. [...] Pray for more dead bodies floating on the fag-semen-rancid waters of New Orleans."

* Steve Lefemine here credits God; God's reason: Abortion (article originally from the Washington Post, as carried on the Houston Chronicle site, also reposted on the ExChristian.net site)

"In my belief, God judged New Orleans for the sin of shedding innocent blood through abortion [...] Providence punishes national sins by national calamities, [...] Greater divine judgment is coming upon America unless we repent of the national sin of abortion."

* Reverend Bill Shanks here credits God; God's reasons: Several

"New Orleans now is abortion free. New Orleans now is Mardi Gras free. New Orleans now is free of Southern Decadence and the sodomites, the witchcraft workers, false religion -- it's free of all of those things now, [...] God simply, I believe, in His mercy purged all of that stuff out of there -- and now we're going to start over again."

ok., so, PEOPLE ARE SICK.

....................

yeah....so anyway

i hope all the relief goes well. RIP

Food arrives as toll tops 42,000

Tuesday, October 11, 2005; Posted: 7:34 a.m. EDT (11:34 GMT)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The death toll from the massive South Asia earthquake soared above 42,000 as the first trickle of humanitarian aid began to flow into the region, authorities said.

Islamic Relief spokesman Waseem Yaqhoob told CNN he thought the death toll would reach "80,000, maybe more."

"This could get very close to tsunami levels," he said. "It's horrific. It really is terrible."

Meanwhile, 120 metric tons of ready-to-eat food arrived Tuesday, enough to feed 240,000 people for five days, a World Food Programme spokesman told CNN.

Another 80 million metric tons of food aid is in the pipeline, Amjad Jamal said. (World boosts quake aid effort)

But he acknowledged the need was great and said appeals were being made to the international community for additional donations of food, supplies and money.

In parts of northern Pakistan, India and the disputed region of Kashmir, the scene is one of utter devastation: entire villages destroyed, millions left homeless and survivors using anything they can to wade through mountains of rubble searching for survivors, food and clean water.

Even with many far-flung areas still not reached, the death toll has hit 41,000 in Pakistan alone, with another 1,239 dead in India and one reported death in Afghanistan, officials have said.

In Pakistan, survivors are becoming more frustrated over the pace of relief efforts, with some resorting to looting.

As many as 5 million people have been left homeless, living in the open air and freezing temperatures since the quake.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/10/1...asia/index.html

Originally posted by symbols@Oct 10 2005, 10:10 PM

yes indeed

the tsunami was in late december, but it still seems that this year smacks of the apocolypse

Quoted post

this could easily be related to the tsunami.

Same part of the world (ish), and the tsunami did fuck the world's geography up (i heard we lost a 1/4 of a second as it speeded up our spinning on the axis).

the tsunami could have put extra stress on the faultlines in that part of the world and pressure built up all year to now...

RIP.

yes, and it could also easily not be related to the tsunami.

fault lines are tough to predict and plates have been shifting since the beginning of time.

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recent/recent.html

Originally posted by Dawood@Oct 11 2005, 04:18 AM

It's not even remotely right to be happy about the devastation that these people are suffering. May Allah give you what you deserve, you coward! When katrina hit, and rita, and when Florida got smashed last year, the muslims in my community were saying prayers for the victims and sending relief, and you come on a public forum and express your happiness for something like this??, YOU ARE A SCUMBAG! May Allah guide you or shatter your backbone into a billion pieces, Ameen.

Quoted post

Symbols beat me to it, but although the muslims in your community might have been praying for the victims (and I'm sure they were, the muslims in this country have to put on a big goddamn show and hide their real feelings about things like this to make sure they don't get lynched in the streets), the muslim leaders in the area of the world that just got rocked were all thanking Allah for the wonderful plague he had visited upon the white satan... then this happens to them. Karma's a fucking bitch, isn't it?

let's not turn crossfire into the 'religious ranters' section.

what happened in pakistan is terrible, but a force of nature

so the only real blame lies on the aftermath. People need

food and shelter, and the only true evil, are the the actions

that keep people from what they need to survive.

I think the earth is pulling that old drunk trick of making yourself

puke before you get sick beyond your own controll. Nature's hangover's going to hurt.

I think the earth is pulling that old drunk trick of making yourself

puke before you get sick beyond your own controll. Nature's hangover's going to hurt.

This is awesome.

Originally posted by Biggus Dickus+Oct 11 2005, 07:21 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Biggus Dickus - Oct 11 2005, 07:21 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Dawood@Oct 11 2005, 04:18 AM

It's not even remotely right to be happy about the devastation that these people are suffering. May Allah give you what you deserve, you coward! When katrina hit, and rita, and when Florida got smashed last year, the muslims in my community were saying prayers for the victims and sending relief, and you come on a public forum and express your happiness for something like this??, YOU ARE A SCUMBAG! May Allah guide you or shatter your backbone into a billion pieces,  Ameen.

Quoted post

Symbols beat me to it, but although the muslims in your community might have been praying for the victims (and I'm sure they were, the muslims in this country have to put on a big goddamn show and hide their real feelings about things like this to make sure they don't get lynched in the streets), the muslim leaders in the area of the world that just got rocked were all thanking Allah for the wonderful plague he had visited upon the white satan... then this happens to them. Karma's a fucking bitch, isn't it?

[/b]

Look, people in the middle east Hate America...WHY? you ask? well, ask yourself why you hate that douchbag of an American president that I always hear the majority of you criticizing. So If you can criticize your president then criticize his actions also and take some responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of deaths he is responsible for if you are going to "take sides" By sticking up for people who show joy when natural disaster hits. If muslims in the middle east were happy and felt a sense of revenge , well I understand why in light of all of the oppression the American govt. is responsible for over there. Does that make it right? Of course not, people are people and we shouldn't feel happy at destruction even if you don't beleive like they do. So, In conclusion, If you want to continue to criticize Bush, then understand why Muslims hate America because of him and those like him, And unless you are like Bush, and share the same views and goals as George Bush, then stop jumping on the "I hate muslims" bandwagon. Don't you remember when Al Qaida was buddy , buddy with Bush sr.? I mean , the CIA trained Usaamah Ibn laaden and Al Qaida and I did'nt hear a peep from any of you hating on muslims then!! Well, why now? Stop being a mindless slave to the media and pay attention to what is going on around you. Hopefully, you will have a better understanding of the world and make better assessments of things in the future. And for youre info, Muslims don't pray so people will get off thier backs and not lynch them in the street. One condition of prayer in sincerity. And I sure as hell don't care who is seeing me pray nor do I worry about getting lynched in the street.

alqaeda and the us used to be in cahoots?

wow, youre gonna stop the presses with that one!

Originally posted by Dawood@Oct 11 2005, 03:19 PM

Look, people in the middle east Hate America...WHY? you ask? well, ask yourself why you hate that douchbag of an American president that I always hear the majority of you criticizing.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming them. Their hate for us has been going on longer than that, as has our asshole-ish series of actions towards them.

So If you can criticize your president then criticize his actions also and take some responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of deaths he is responsible for if you are going to "take sides" By sticking up for people who show joy when natural disaster hits. If muslims in the middle east were happy and felt a sense of revenge , well I understand why in light of all of the oppression the American govt. is responsible for over there. Does that make it right? Of course not, people are people and we shouldn't feel happy at destruction even if you don't beleive like they do.

Sure, they feel joy about it. I felt a bit of satisfaction in the hope that this killed the entire families of the kids from pakistan that I got stuck in a dorm room with 5 years ago that stayed up until 6 every morning, causing me to fail several classes early in college. Or the pakistani dude that tried to rape one of my best friends two years back. I hope everyone they ever knew or loved is dying a horrible death trapped under a building right now. The rest of the country I feel sorry for.*

When you go out in public and make a statement that god caused some kind of massive trauma to be inflicted upon an entire country just because you don't happen to like them, you've got to expect some kind of massive karmic retribution though. It's just the nature of reality.

So, In conclusion, If you want to continue to criticize Bush, then understand why Muslims hate America because of him and those like him, And unless you are like Bush, and share the same views and goals as George Bush, then stop jumping on the "I hate muslims" bandwagon.

You misunderstand me. I don't hate muslims, I hate organized religions. It just happens to come down to muslim bashing, because, well... you're here. The catholics & christians know well enough to avoid us sinners.

Don't you remember when Al Qaida was buddy , buddy with Bush sr.? I mean , the CIA trained Usaamah Ibn laaden and Al Qaida and I did'nt hear a peep from any of you hating on muslims then!! Well, why now? Stop being a mindless slave to the media and pay attention to what is going on around you. Hopefully, you will have a better understanding of the world and make better assessments of things in the future.

I understand what is going on right now to the extent that any person without top secret security clearance and a lot of time on their hands really can. If Al Qaeda didn't hate us because of our abandonment of them, and the muslims didn't hate us because of the wars, we'd still be hated because we're white and primarily christian.

And for youre info, Muslims don't pray so people will get off thier backs and not lynch them in the street. One condition of prayer in sincerity. And I sure as hell don't care who is seeing me pray nor do I worry about getting lynched in the street.

Quoted post

Take a muslim man from the middle east that hates America and his twin brother who happens to be in America for the sole purpose of making higher wages than he possibly could in his home country. When something like this happens, one man is going to be cheering and shouting to his friends about how the white devils got what's coming to them, and the other one is going to be playing along, collecting his paycheck, and praying for the victims. Guess which is which.

Feel free to replace muslim with Christian and flip the countries anywhere above.

*except those who tip poorly and mistreat women.

Im sure all the millions of starving, homeless and hopeless people suffering from this disaster really appreciate your great discussion and wise words.

RIP innocent victims. Fuck the political and religious blame-game.

ok,

the only thing I am going to respond to is your "we're white" statement. And the cheering aboout the "white devils". statement. Lets get it straight.....Islam is not against white people. As a matter of fact there are millions of white muslims in the world from Finland and Algeria and the Netherlands and America, Spain, Australia, and many more places. So , I'll say it again ISLAM IS NOT AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE.

If you got that Idea, It was from Farrakhans group who say that the white man is the Devil etc, etc. , But they are not muslims. As a matter of fact , when Malcom X went to Mecca and saw all these light skinned "white" muslims and he was exposed to the true islam, he was so shocked and he accepted true Islam and rejected Elijah Muhammads deviant group. Islam is far from racism. As for your other statements, well, everyone is entitled to thier opinions. But lets just say that people are products of thier enviroments, So lets start dropping bombs on your head lets say..... tommorrow , then i'll come back in a year and see what your opinion of the one dropping bombs on you is, OK?

oh, yeah, and there are some awfully "white" black, arab,asian,latino, indian, pakistani, people running around America these days.

"we're white?"

this is the last bit of evidence the John Birch Society will submit on this matter:

and I think when peoples say white, I think they mean more western civilization...islamist don't hate white people, they hate western people, people from the western civilization, ie America, Europe etc etc

those muslims in that photo are most likley sikh. but def. not muslims.

rip victims of earthquake.

*sarcasm* dude, they are muslims they have turbans *sarcasm*

Ha, Ha, yeah, they are sikh....definately not muslims, Good try John.

I never said they were muslims...but nonetheless the earthquake affected people of all religions up there: hindi, muslim, sihk etc etc.

I just thought it was a cool sandcastle though. I'm going to build a replica at Revere Beach next summer

Yah , dood Raveeh beach kid , get me a roast beef with cheese and x-tra sauce at kelly's.