New figures put quake toll at more than 79,000

Not enough food, shelter, or health care
Aid workers fear casualties could rise even further as communities without adequate food, shelter or health care will soon face the harsh Himalayan winter. Snow has already begun to fall in high mountains, and some villages face subfreezing temperatures at night.

However, the death toll in Pakistan is unlikely to come close to December’s magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami that killed more than 176,000 people — most of them in Indonesia — or a magnitude 8.2 temblor that killed at least 240,000 in Tangshan, China, in 1976.

Hundreds of aftershocks are still rattling the South Asian quake zone, frightening the many homeless who are camping by ruined homes. A 5.8-magnitude tremor struck on Wednesday morning, near the epicenter of the main quake. Less than an hour later, a second was felt that registered 5.6.

There were no reports of injury, but the aftershocks caused new landslides that briefly blocked at least one road and sent rubble coursing down eroded mountainsides.

On a tour near the quake-hit town of Balakot, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf promised to build quake-proof homes for the homeless — drawing applause from about 200 villagers at a tented settlement.

Diplomatic efforts in Kashmir
Carrying a swagger stick and wearing a baseball cap, Musharraf also said he would be willing to let Kashmiri civilians drive across the militarized border from India to help their brethren on the Pakistan side rebuild.

“If they want to assist in the reconstruction effort and in (distributing) relief goods, yes, I will allow it. ... We would like to encourage it,” he said.

There’s been no formal Indian response to the offer. It appears at least in part a diplomatic parry to India’s previous offer of military helicopters for relief efforts. The nations have fought two wars over Kashmir, and Pakistan refuses to let Indian military personnel onto its side of the disputed frontier.

At Nanseri, a village four miles from the Line of Control in Kashmir, injured people were still emerging from their communities — making arduous journeys across towering mountains, with relatives carrying their loved ones on their backs or in wooden-and-twine beds.

Dr. Amjad Sarij Memon said his eight-man team of volunteer doctors from the southern city of Karachi had performed more than 500 operations in the past six days in tents in the village. He said they have had to carry out “numerous amputations” because of infected wounds.

Despite the growing influx of aid, the U.N. World Food Program has estimated a half-million survivors have yet to receive any. Pakistan’s military, however, says all but about 5 percent of communities have been reached — although it does appear that many villages have received little aid.

In Beijing, top U.N. relief coordinator Jan Egeland urged China, which borders Pakistan, to contribute winterized tents. Pakistan says it urgently needs 150,000-200,000 tents. It now has about 30,000.

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