PESHAWAR, Oct 9: The NWFP government announced on Sunday that it was to close schools for one week as a precautionary measure in the wake of Saturday’s earthquake and because of recurring aftershocks.

“The teachers and other staff will be on duty in schools for other activities and only students have been given a week off as there is risk of aftershocks,” said provincial Education Minister Maulana Fazli Ali Haqqani.

Teachers have been asked to take part in relief activities and collect blood donations for the injured.

Teachers and other staff of the education department had been requested to make donations to help rehabilitate people in the devastated areas.

He said that there were unconfirmed reports of some 400 students buried in the debris of a school in Thana Ghari and some 50 students killed at other places.

Some 250 schoolchildren were killed in Balakot when the building of a school collapsed, the minister said.