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| October 13, 2005 | Thursday | Ramzan 8, 1426 |
20pc areas yet to be accessed: ISPR
RAWALPINDI, Oct 12: ISPR Director-General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan has said that 20 per cent of the areas affected by the Oct 8 earthquake is still inaccessible and rescue and relief teams have reached 80 per cent of Azad Kashmir and the NWFP.
He was briefing media-persons at the Chaklala Air Base where cargo planes carrying foreign relief goods and aid workers have been arriving.
Gen Sultan said that about 850 foreign rescue workers from Switzerland, Malaysia, Poland, Italy, Azerbaijan, Singapore, Jordan, Germany, Turkey, Russia, UK, France, Spain, UAE and China and Japan were working in the quake-hit areas. They included 708 doctors and paramedical staff.
Heavy rains and hailstorms added to the problems on Tuesday, making the relief operation difficult. However, convoys of trucks carrying goods continued pouring in the effected areas after the roads were cleared for traffic.
The ISPR officer said 23,000 people had been killed and 51,000 injured. About two million people had been effected in Azad Kashmir and 1.3 million in Mansehra and Battagram. Around 20,000 sq-km area was affected by the earthquake.
He said 437 armed forces personnel were included in the 23,000 people killed while 730 were injured.
Around 4,000 troops (2 divisions of Army), one each in Azad Kashmir and Manshera, have been deployed in the affected area to expedite rescue and relief operation.
Gen Sultan said that whenever such type of natural disaster hit any part of the world, it was a natural phenomena that the attitude of the people turned aggressive.
He said those who had been snatching relief goods were not basically criminal persons. They were trying to get relief first, he explained.
“Government convoys carrying relief goods are being escorted by security personnel. However, the police force have been deployed to maintain law and order in the effected areas and provide protection to the private relief convoys heading towards the worst-hit areas,” the ISPR officer said.
Gen Sultan said the relief goods, including 35 tons of medicine, 98 tons of ration, 18,500 blankets and 6,500 tents had been transported to the effected areas by army teams.
In reply to a question regarding the fear of the risk of epidemic and infection from dead bodies, Gen Shaukat Sultan said the effected areas would be sprayed with medicines and vaccination was being arranged.
He told reporters that more giant Chinook helicopters were needed to gear up the relief efforts. Earlier, five Chinooks and three Black Hawk choppers have already been operating between Islamabad and quake-hit areas.
Mr Sultan said 30 Pakistani military helicopters were busy in the relief efforts. Animal transport has been employed to reach difficult areas of Balakot.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by Pakistan Air Force said PAF had established a forward base at Muzzafarabad airfield to provide efficient relief support and material facilities to the effected people.
This forward operational base is managed by PAF personnel under the command of air vice marshal. At this FOB, a drop zone has been created through which the relief goods, received from all over the country, are being airdropped in small packets and on large pallets with the help of parachutes.
He said a 50-bedded field hospital was also being set up, equipped with adequate medical facilities and manned by trained staff consisting of six surgeons, six lady doctors and 36 paramedics.
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