PESHAWAR, Nov 1: The principal officer at the US consulate in Peshawar, Lynne Tracy, said on Thursday that the United States would continue its help for the rebuilding of Mansehra and other parts of Pakistan devastated by the earthquake on Oct 8, 2005.

Speaking to students at the Hazara University, Ms Tracy said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was carrying out a four-year earthquake reconstruction programme at a cost of $200 million to rebuild schools and hospitals, expand education and health services and improve economic structure.

She said that US assistance in Mansehra had helped clear roads that would allow tourists to have access to northern parts of the Khagan Valley. School reconstruction, safe drinking water projects, etc., were included in US assistance projects.

A press release issued here on Thursday said the US government was rebuilding and improving educational infrastructure and imparting high-quality education to children in the Mansehra and Bagh districts through its Revitalising, Innovating and Strengthening Education (RISE) project.