October 08, 2005
Judgement Day
Brietbart is currently showing that the 7.6 magnitude earthquake centered near the Pakistan-Kashmir border may have killed thousands:
A devastating earthquake triggered landslides, toppled an apartment building and flattened villages of mud-brick homes Saturday, killing more than 18,000 people across a mountainous swath touching Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.The casualty toll from the 7.6-magnitude tremor rose sharply Sunday as rescuers struggled to dig people from the wreckage, their work made more difficult as rain and hail turned dirt and debris into sticky muck. Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, Pakistan's chief army spokesman, told Pakistan's Geo TV network early Sunday that more than 18,000 had been killed _ 17,000 of them in Pakistani Kashmir, where the quake was centered. Some 41,000 people were injured, he said.
Eyewitness accounts compare the scene to Judgement Day, with many homes and buildings completely flattened. Damage spread across remote regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and disputed Kashmir.
Maps of the area show mountainous terrain, and landslides have shut down major highways, making rescue efforts very difficult. It may be days or even weeks before some regions receive substantial aid. Thousands more may die. If you are religious, please say a prayer for these people.
And while this thought briefly crossed my mind as well, now is not the time to speculate about such things.
President Bush has already offered assistance. I hope the Pakistani and Indian governments to allow American military units from Afghanistan to come in and assist with humanitarian missions.
Let's try to save as many of these people as we can. There will be plenty of time to count the dead later.
Localized Blogging:
South Asia Quake Help
Metroblogging Lahore
Metroblogging Karachi
Others Blogging
Bird's Eye View has multiple detailed posts.
Gateway Pundit has a roundup.
The Political Teen
The Moderate Voice
Clarity & Resolve
Speed of Thought has posts here and here.
PunditGuy has posts here and here.
Joe's Dartblog
Laurence Simon
In the Bullpen
The Jawa Report
Let me add that the South Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Page has been covering this story as well - with pictures and maps too. It's unbelievable that the death toll is going to be extremely high - and strong aftershocks keep hitting the region.
The area north of Islamabad was hardest hit.
Posted by: lawhawk at October 9, 2005 09:03 AMThe first link in the list, South Asian Quake help, is new site from the same people who created the South Asian Earthquake and Tsunami Page.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at October 9, 2005 10:07 AMI feel for those poor people. I'll keep them in my prayers.
Posted by: seawitch at October 9, 2005 12:47 PMI've managed to save up roughly $88034 in my bank account, but I'm not sure if I should buy a house or not. Do you think the market is stable or do you think that home prices will decrease by a lot?
Posted by: Courtney Gidts at November 17, 2005 04:06 PM
