2005 Kashmir earthquake
The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake (also known as the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centred in Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir) and in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). It occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:37 UTC) on 8 October 2005. It registered a debatable 7.6 or 7.7 on the Richter scale making it similar in intensity to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1935 Quetta earthquake, and the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. As of 8 November, the government of Pakistan's official death toll was 79,000, while officials say nearly 1,400 people also died in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (Indian-administered Kashmir) and four people in Afghanistan. The severity of the damage caused by the quake is attributed to severe upthrust, coupled with poor construction.
Human impact
People lived in mountainous regions with access impeded by landslides that blocked the roads, leaving an estimated 3.3 million homeless in Pakistan. The UN reported that 8 million people were directly affected, prior to the commencement of winter snowfall in the Himalayan region. It is estimated that damages incurred are well over US$ 5 billion (300 billion Pakistani rupees) [1] Five crossing points were opened on the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan to facilitate the flow of humanitarian and medical aid to the affected region, and international aid teams from around the world came to the region to assist in relief.
The earthquake
Azad Kashmir lies in the area of collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. [5]. The geological activity born out of this collision, also responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountain range, is the cause of unstable seismicity in the region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured its magnitude as a minimum of 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale, with its epicentre at [show location on an interactive map] 34°29′35″N, 73°37′44″E, about 19 km (11.8 miles) northeast of Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, and 100 km (65 miles) north-northeast of the national capital Islamabad. The earthquake is classified as "major" by the USGS. The hypocenter was located at a depth of 26 km (16.2 miles) below the surface [6]. The Japan Meteorological Agency estimated its magnitude at a minimum of 7.8. By comparison, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake had a magnitude of 9.15. The earthquake caused widespread destruction in northern Pakistan, as well as damage in Afghanistan and northern India. The worst hit areas were Azad Kashmir, Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), western and southern parts of the Kashmir valley. It also affected some parts of the Pakistani province of Punjab, the capital city of Islamabad, and the city of Karachi experienced a minor aftershock of magnitude 4.6. There have been many secondary earthquakes in the region, mainly to the northwest of the original epicentre. A total of 147 aftershocks were registered in the first day after the initial quake, of which one had a magnitude of 6.2 [6] Twenty-eight of these aftershocks occurred with magnitudes greater. On October 19, a series of strong aftershocks, one with a magnitude of 5.8, [6] occurred about 65 km (40.5 miles) north-northwest of Muzaffarabad. [7] There have been more than 978 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.0 and above, as of 27 October 2005 [8] that continue to occur daily. (See USGS for a list of recent aftershocks and effects.) Since then, measures from satellites have shown, that mountain parts directly above the epicenter have risen by a few meters, giving ample proof, that the rising of the Himalayas are still going on, and that this earthquake was a consequence of that.[9]
Casualties
Most of the casualties resulting from the earthquake were in Pakistan administered Kashmir where the official confirmed death toll is 74,698, putting it higher than the massive scale of destruction of the 1935 Quetta earthquake. Nearly 1,400 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to officials. [10] International donors have estimated that about 86,000 died but this has not been confirmed or endorsed by Pakistani authorities.
As Saturday is a normal school day in the region, most students were at schools when the earthquake struck. Many were buried under collapsed school buildings. Many people were also trapped in their homes and, because it was the month of Ramadan, most people were taking a nap after their pre-dawn meal and did not have time to escape during the earthquake. Reports indicate that entire towns and villages were completely wiped out in Northern Pakistan with other surrounding areas also suffering severe damage.
"...a second, massive wave of death will happen if we do not step up our efforts now", Kofi Annan said on 20 October with reference to the thousand remote villages in which people are in need of medical attention, food, clean water and shelter and the 120,000 survivors that have not yet been reached." [11]
According to Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz
"made the appeal to survivors" on 26 October to come down to valleys and cities for relief, [2] because bad weather, mountainous terrain, landslides and blocked roads are making it difficult for relief workers to reach each house and the winter snows are imminent."
Damage
Indian-administered Kashmir
* 1,500 houses were destroyed in Uri. About 90% of the families living in the town, which has a population of 30,000, were affected by the quake. *More than 1,100 houses were flattened in Indian Kashmir. The main minaret of the Hazratbal shrine, which is believed to house a relic of the prophet Muhammad was damaged. [12]
* The 200-year-old Moti Mahal fort in Poonch district, Kashmir, collapsed. [13]
* Buildings in Delhi and Amritsar were damaged, and tremors caused panic in Gujarat.
* The tremors were also felt in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
* There were over 1300 dead
International response
Many countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations have offered relief aid to the region, in the form of donation as well as relief supplies including food, medical supplies, tents and blankets.
Rescue and relief workers were sent to the region from different parts of the world and they brought along rescue equipment, including helicopters and rescue dogs.
The United Nations has appealed for donations to raise at least US$272 million to help victims of the quake.
Houses Constructed by Lions Clubs International
The International Association of Lions Clubs (LCI) & Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) donated an amount of US$ 892,000/- for the reconstruction of 150 houses along with supporting infrastructure and a water supply system at Village Anwar Sharif, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir.
The project was completed in July 2007 and the houses were handed over to their occupants by the International Director of Lions Clubs International, Lion Malik Khuda Baksh on July 26, 2007. Mr. Raja Zulqarnain Khan, President of the Azad Kashmir was the Chief Guest of the Ceremony.
A team of volunteer New York City paramedics travelled to the remote villages of Kashmir two weeks after the earthquake and treated over 200 patients a day in a two week relief effort.[14]
Many international relief organizations remain, particularly in the hard hit areas of NWFP and rural Kashmir [15].
1935 Balochistan earthquake
The 1935 Balochistan Earthquake (Urdu: بلوچستان زلزلہ) occurred on May 31, 1935 at 3:02am at Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, then part of British India. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 Mw[1] and anywhere between 30,000 and 60,000 people died from the impact. This ranks as one of the deadliest earthquakes that hit South Asia.[1] The quake was centred 4.0 kilometres South West of Ali Jaan, Balochistan, British India.[1]
The earth quake
Quetta and its neighbouring towns lay in the most active seismic region of Pakistan atop the Chamman and Chiltan fault lines. A disturbance in the geological activity resulted in an earthquake early in the morning on 31 May 1935 estimated anywhere between the hours of 2:30 am[1] and 3:40 am[2] which lasted for three minutes with continuous aftershocks. Although there were no instruments good enough to precisely measure the magnitude of the earthquake, modern estimates cite the magnitude as being a minimum of 7.7 Mw on the Richter magnitude scale and previous estimates of 8.1 Mw are now regarded as an overestimate. The epicentre of the quake was established to be 4-kilometres south-west of the town of Ali Jaan in Balochistan, some 153-kilometres away from Quetta in British India. The earthquake caused destruction in almost all the towns close to Quetta including the city itself and tremors were felt as far as Agra, now in India. The largest aftershock was later measured at 5.8 Mw occurring on 2 June 1935.[1] This however did not cause any damage in Quetta but the towns of Mastung, Maguchar and Kalat were seriously affected by this aftershock.[1]
