Asia Quake Update - IR

Latest update from Islamic Relief.

Points of note: Muzaffarabad has suffered complete infrastructural damage; Neelum Valley cut off; most IR-sponsored orphans unaccounted for.

Bad weather is hampering the aid effort and as winter approaches weather conditions will deteriorate.

Thunderstorms and rain are expected over the next few days, followed by a wave of cold weather.

Orphans

The fate of many of the 174 orphans that Islamic Relief supports in the areas affected by the quake is unclear.

In Bagh, 5 orphans are unaccounted for, while in Muzaffarabad, there are 45 orphans that IR staff have not been able to contact.

Of the 38 orphans in the badly-hit region of eastern Manshera, IR staff have only managed to contact two children.

In the town of Balakot, in the North Western Frontier Province, only two out of 32 IR-supported orphans are accounted for.

Of the orphans that are safe, most lost their homes.

Muzaffarabad

The city of Muzaffarabad lies in ruins. Roads, buildings, hospitals, schools and houses have been destroyed and power lines are down. There is no infrastructure left in the city. Nearly all of Muzaffarabad city's 72,000 residents are homeless.

Around 1 million people live in the district of Muzaffarabad and 35,000 deaths have been reported so far.

Aid is being distributed in Muzaffarabad, and IR staff are trying to reach people in villages around the city.

Neelum Valley

The roads to Neelum Valley are not yet open, and the whole area remains cut off from the outside world. The road between Muzaffarabad and Kuttan is damaged in 15 places and officials say it take several months before it is opened to traffic.

Around 500 deaths have been reported in Neelum Valley and around 80 percent of the people there are homeless. Food, fuel and medicines will run out soon.

Barian and Chalayana, two villages in the Neelum Valley home to about 7,000 people, have been completely destroyed.

Bagh

The death toll in Bagh is estimated at 15,000 and 90 percent of the houses in the district have either been completely destroyed or are uninhabitable.

IR staff are distributing aid in the city of Bagh, and towns and villages in the district.