MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 25: Distribution of compensation among victims of the Oct 8 earthquake will begin in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, AJK Chief Secretary Kashif Murtaza has said.

The chief secretary told a news conference that Rs100,000 would be given to dependents of each of those who had died, Rs50,000 to those who had undergone amputation and Rs25,000 to people who had suffered other injuries.

He said compensation committees had been formed at the Legislative Assembly constituency level with the relevant MLA, local army unit’s commanding officer and deputy commissioner or his representative as their members.

Mr Murtaza said Islamabad had initially provided Rs2.5 billion to the AJK government whereas the requirement of the area in the aftermath of the earthquake was Rs15billion to Rs20 billion.

The AJK government had constituted a committee to ascertain details of the losses caused by the quake, which had completed its task in Bagh and Rawalakot, he said.

However, it was yet to collect data from 173 of the over 500 revenue villages in Muzaffarabad district due to inaccessibility, he said.

Around 23,000 deaths had been reported from the accessed villages in the district but the figure was bound to increase after information from the remaining areas poured in, he said. The chief secretary said many unknown visitors from other parts of the country could have been caught in the quake.

He said three Punjab officials were supporting the AJK government by compiling the data of losses and relief measures and coordinating with non-governmental organizations on his behalf.