"Uncertain" death toll of Pakistan quake could run into thousands

Mgr Dogra, vicar-general of Islamabad tells AsiaNews: "Pray for us". Rescue work is slow and reports of damages "are set to get worse".

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – "Excavations are under way but rescue work is slow in Islamabad: God only knows how much damage the earthquake has done," said Mgr Jacob Dogra. Speaking to AsiaNews, the vicar-general of Islamabad said: "The Margalla Towers (a residential complex on 12 floors with more than 75 apartments) was the worst hit zone, it is practically destroyed. No one can say how many bodies are buried in the ruins." Rescue teams "are not functioning well as yet. They are all slow, however President Musharraf has said he will send more people and we strongly hope so. Pray for us".

Islamabad is situated 95km away from the epicentre of the tremors of the earthquake which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale. The earthquake struck at 5.50 (Italian time) in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The death toll is as yet uncertain but feared to be considerable.

General Shaukat Sultan, spokesman of President Pervez Musharraf, said: "Thousands of people may have died. We do not know how many casualties there are, but the number will be high."

Pakistan's Minister for the Interior, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, said: "We have news of several villages which have been completely wiped out."

The North-West Frontier Province was badly hit: a regional official in Peshawar said there was "enormous" destruction in the region with more than 100 dead. He added that the death toll "could be much higher".

Vijay Bakaya, India's vice-secretary of state for Jammu-Kashmir, spoke of at least 142 people killed in Kashmir and another 15 in Jammu region. Bakaya said the death toll could rise. "This is a provisional figure. As soon as news reaches us about damage to houses and the number of victims, the toll could well rise."

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