October 09, 2007	Tuesday	Ramazan 26, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: Former residents of the Margalla Towers on Monday held a mourning ceremony to commemorate the October 8 earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale in which their multi-storeyed building collapsed two years ago.

The second anniversary of the devastating quake brought back painful memories of the death of more than 70 of the total 143 residents.

Altaf Ahmed, 74, who was among the survivors living on the third floor, while sharing his experiences said: “I lost my family and friends in the tragic incident and still remember them with pain.”

The reason for the building collapse, according to the residents, was the criminal negligence in construction and supervision, not the earthquake itself, Mr Ahmed said.

Another apartment dweller, Mobeen Ansari, lost his 18-year- old friend, Zuhair Iqbal, who also lived on the 8th floor.

After offering Fateha with his eyes filled with tears, he said: “The devastating earthquake not only took away our homes but also our loved ones and left painful memories for the whole life.”

The administration and students of Imperial International School, which is situated adjacent to the Margalla Towers, paid homage to the victims of earthquake by offering Fateha and observing a moment of silence while holding flowers in their hands.

The school’s assistant coordinator, Noreen Ashar, told this agency that they witnessed all the tragic scenes and lost some of their students who were among the residents of the affected high- rise.

She said local and foreign students of the school also lit candles outside the Towers, adding that they wanted to carry out this practice every year in memory of their loved ones.—APP