Aid Slow in Reaching Pakistan Quake Victims
By VOA News
31 October 2008
Pakistani authorities and aid agencies are still scrambling Friday to help victims of Wednesday's earthquake in southwestern Pakistan that killed about 300 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
Aid is slowly reaching some of the hardest-hit areas in poor and mountainous Baluchistan province near the Afghan border. The military has brought tents, blankets, clothing and food to affected villagers, but local residents and aid workers said it is not yet enough.
The International Committee of the Red Cross says 20,000 to 30,000 people have been affected by the quake, and other estimates are far higher.
Islamic militants have also been distributing food and medicine in the deeply conservative region, including one group, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, that has been listed by the State Department as a terrorist organization.
Residents and health workers said many children are falling sick with pneumonia from sleeping outside for two nights in freezing temperatures.
Multiple aftershocks have rocked Baluchistan province, hampering relief efforts.
Pakistan is prone to seismic activity. A strong earthquake in 2005 killed about 80,000 people in northern Pakistan.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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