The disaster was estimated to have killed at least 79,000 people in Pakistan Kashmir alone, with millions more either injured or left homeless. To make matters worse, more than 1,000 hospitals were destroyed. Other hospitals have already started to move earthquake victims onto lawns, fearing tremors could cause more damage. Geologists are now warning that there could be more aftershocks today and over the next few days.
Almost half of the city's homes were destroyed and power lines snapped. Islambad, our capital city, was also severely affected. The Margalla Tower, a ten storey building in the commercial heart of Islambad, collapsed completely, killing most of its occupants (see pictures below). The impact was destructive and its tremors could be felt across South Asia.
The tremor struck at 08:52:37 local time (08:57:32 UTC) when many Pakistanis were just starting the weekend. The Earthquake was a result of the Indian Plate colliding with the Eurasian Plate and being forced under it.
As the aftershocks panicked the country, the Pakistani Government immediately asked for International aid and rushed to affected regions to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
Disasters are natural and beyond the control of humans, we can try to predict when they may occur but we can never prevent them from happening. To minimize collateral damage when such catastrophes happen, Governments of earthquake prone countries can help by ensuring that buildings are built to specifications that can withstand strong tremors.
Together, the world can work and help each other to be better prepared for such disasters in the future and try to minimize the death toll.
Websites:
1.Dr George P.C, http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Earthquake2005Pakistan.html, extracted 23-02-2010
2.Nawed Khan, http://www.pakquake2005.com/, extracted 22-02-2010
3.BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4322624.stm, extracted 22-02-2010
