Hunt for survivors as toll rises to 400

UN-US-India offer to help Pakistan-Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD-KABUL, Oct 27: The intertiol community has offered help to deal with Monday’s earthquake, as Pakistan assesses the damage to property and loss of life.

About 300 people were killed and around 1,620 were injured while 2,520 houses were damaged in Pakistan due to the quake that hit parts of South Asian region, with epicenter in the Hindu Kush Mountains, Xinhua quoted Pakistan’s tiol Disaster Magement Authority as saying.

Pakistan Prime Minister waz Sharif convened a high-level emergency meeting on Tuesday to review the rescue and relief activities, the Prime Minister’s office said.

Officials said the toll could rise further as communication system has been damaged in remote areas.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has offered help to Pakistan and Afghanistan after the quake hit the two countries and India, his spokesman said.

“United tions agencies are mobilizing and stand ready to support government-led relief operations in both countries, if requested,” a statement issued by Stéphane Dujarric said.

Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi is likely to brief UN officials about the situation in the area.

Indian Prime Minister rendra Modi called Sharif after the powerful quake shook Pakistan and “offered assistance for earthquake relief,” the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad said. He also called the Afghanistan President and offered all help from India.

The US said its partners are currently assessing the level of damage and monitoring the situation on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“The US is in touch with governments throughout the region and stands ready, as always, to provide assistance at this difficult time,” US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Monday’s massive earthquake has crossed 100 in Afghanistan, the Afghan media reported on Tuesday. The disaster measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre in the Hindu Kush range, also left around 300 people injured and around 4,000 houses damaged. At least 12 school girls were among 83 killed as a result of stampede after the quake, local officials in ngarhar province said. “The toll is expected to rise further as the remote areas could not be accessed due to landslides and suspension of the telecommunication services,” Tolo News said on Tuesday.