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| December 06, 2006 | Wednesday | Ziqa'ad 14, 1427 |
Mudslides block two key roads
MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 5: Several days of heavy rains and snow have triggered mudslides blocking two key roads in earthquake-hit area of Azad Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.
The two roads linking Muzaffarabad and two valleys are blocked at several places, and it will take at least two days to clear them, said Mohammed Hussain Pervez, chief engineer of the Azad Kashmir highway department.
Transportation of relief goods into the valleys has been suspended, said Syed Sarfaraz Naqvi, an official of the Red Crescent Society.
WFP spokesman Amjad Jamal said that almost 10,000 tons of emergency food was already at base camps in vulnerable areas, enabling distributions to continue.
“We have already pre-positioned food at forward locations. We have provided food to our implementing partners,'' Jamal said. According to the WFP, about 250,000 people in the NWFP are at risk of being cut off this winter and between 50,000 and 70,000 are vulnerable in Azad Kashmir.
Diarrhoea and pneumonia have killed six children in a village near Muzaffarabad in the past two days, district health official Sardar Mahmood Ahmed said.
Most quake survivors have at least temporary shelters, but only a small proportion has been able to rebuild homes since the disaster. This year’s early onset of winter has increased concerns for their welfare in the months ahead.
More rain and snow is expected in the quake zone in the next two days, Meteorological Department said on Tuesday.
About 60 centimetres (two feet) snow has already fallen on high mountains and sub-zero night-time temperatures are expected in the region.—AP
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