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170 people killed as powerful earthquake hits Pakistan

At least 170 people have been reportedly killed after a powerful earthquake hit south-west Pakistan, leaving thousands homeless. The death toll is expected to rise, reports Sheraz Khurram Khan, special correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan.

A strong earthquake of 6.4 magnitude struck parts of Baluchistan province in South-Western Pakistan before dawn on Wednesday.

The deadly quake reduced several villages to rubble. The impoverished people living in houses made of mud and timber have borne the brunt of this deadly quake as their already fragile houses have been flattened.

In some areas, according to reports, not even a single house is intact. The collapsed walls of the mud houses have raised fears that the death toll will further climb. Many houses collapsed during the quake and some were destroyed in landslides that followed it.

The areas that have been badly affected by the earthquake include Ziarat, Pishin, Chaman and adjoining areas. The areas that have been badly affected by the earthquake include Ziarat, Pishin, Chaman and adjoining areas.

Army helicopters flew in relief supplies to the quake-hit areas. Pakistan President and Prime Minister in their respective messages have express grave concern at the loss of lives and properties of the people in the quake-hit areas.

The tremor forced people to rush out of their houses who faced early morning chill on the streets, prompting the need for blankets, sleeping pads, medical care and shelters for the lucky survivors of the earthquake.

An All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) team from the province of Baluchistan arrived at the scene of huge death, destruction and devastation to provide search, rescue and relief services in the affected areas after some hours.

The APMA team included workers and volunteers who have started rescue and relief operations. The team is also providing first aid to the wounded.

The APMA volunteers from the province of Baluchistan also donated blood to the critically injured people. An emergency has been declared at the hospitals in Quetta and near the quake- hit areas.

Faced with this national tragedy the hospitals would have to ensure provision of life-saving drugs and other medicines to save those victims of the quake who have sustained critical injuries.

ANS has learnt that a larger and relatively better equipped APMA team has been dispatched to district Ziarat, which has suffered heavily in the wake of the earthquake.

The APMA is planning to set up its base camp in the district Ziarat to extend rescue and relief services to as many people as possible.

The APMA chief has urged people across the world to pray for the survivors of the deadly quake who are forced to live under open sky after having seen death of their loved ones.

In the wake of 2005 quake tragedy that killed 80,000 people and left some 3.5 million homeless, the Christians of Pakistan extended their generous contribution toward relief, rescue and rehabilitation of the victims of the earth-quake.

Several national and international Christian relief organizations launched relief, rescue and rehabilitation operations to assist the victims of the earthquake.

Leading umbrella organization of Pakistani Minorities, the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) responded to this tragedy immediately.

The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) set up a school named “Balakot Rising School” in the village Boli, which is some 4 kilometers from Balakot in 2006 to ensure that the students of the area continue to get education after the quake either reduced several school buildings to rubble or did a significant damage to them (school buildings), making most of quake-hit school buildings unable to function as schools. Since its inception the school has been providing free education to children aged 3-8 years.

In the aftermath of fresh quake tragedy the APMA chief has appealed to the people around the world to pray for APMA relief workers, volunteers and the medical team who are on the ground in quake-hit areas.

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TAGS: Pakistan earthquake victims Christian relief organizations

[10/31/2008]

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