South Asia Earthquake.

Pledges to create ‘mountain of debt’: Oxfam

ISLAMABAD: The Oxfam questioned whether that Saturday’s pledges at the International Donors’ Conference will create another mountain of debt... Isponline.info

Quake pledges exceed aid target

International donors have pledged some $5.4bn (£3.14bn) to help Pakistan recover from last month's devastating earthquake, the prime minister says... BBC World Service

Pakistanis Unite to Aid Victims of Quake

BALAKOT, Pakistan, Oct. 21 - All around this leveled town, thousands of pieces of clothing sit in great heaps, creating bright pockets of color amid fields of gray rubble. A checkered maroon sweater. A pair of bluejeans. A pink shirt. At first glance, the clothing appears to be a sad vestige of the thousands who perished in this mountain town. Instead, it is a testament to the living. NY Times

Earthquake helicopter 'heroes'

When the global media descended on Pakistan in the wake of the killer quake on 8 October, what the world saw was a relief effort that was perhaps memorable only for its chaos.

What went unnoticed was the tireless effort made by a handful of nameless and faceless people that eventually set the ground rules for what is shaping up into one of the largest relief and rescue operations since the Asian tsunami.

The helicopters have been called "angels" by villagers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4346778.stm

Tents crisis hits quake victims

There are not enough warm tents in the world to protect refugees from the South Asia earthquake from the coming winter, a top UN official has warned.

Andrew Macleod told the BBC that the emergency was so vast it was an even bigger challenge than the 2004 tsunami.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4350194.stm

Girl, 18 Months, Among the Last to Be Rescued

Given oxygen and first aid after her rescue at 2 a.m. Friday, the toddler was decidedly among the living, said Mazhar Hussein, the doctor who treated Shakeela. The girl is being called the disaster's latest miracle child.LA Times

Pakistan shifts focus from rescue to relief operations/Reconstruction will cost billions of dollars and take up to a decade.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Rescue workers on Friday abandoned the search for any survivors trapped in the rubble of last week's earthquake, and a top U.N. official warned that reconstruction of the devastated region will cost billions of dollars and take up to a decade.Guardian.uk

Pakistan Earthquake Survivors Face Chaotic Recovery Operations

Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Muhammad Farid, a 32-year-old man of slight build, helped bury about 200 earthquake victims including his family members, neighbors and others in his village in north Pakistan. Then he walked 27 kilometers (17 miles) through the mountains carrying his injured sister-in-law to find a hospital.Bloomberg

Pakistan/India earthquake more devastating than December tsunami - WHO

ISLAMABAD (AFX) - The earthquake which hit northwestern Pakistan and Indian Kashmir last Saturday was more devastating than last year's Indian Ocean tsunami in terms of the number of homeless and destruction to infrastructure, a United Nations official said today. Forbes

Aftershock disrupts efforts

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan Oct 13, 2005 — A 22-year-old woman trapped in the rubble of a quake-hit building died Thursday after an overnight aftershock disrupted efforts to rescue her, rescuers and witnesses said.Abc News

Quake aid starts flowing in

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Pakistani towns worst hit by the earthquake five days ago received a steady flow of relief supplies by air and road on Thursday, as President Pervez Musharraf asked the world and his people to send more money and aid quickly.Alertnet

I will wash away the taste of death tonight

Cold is new danger for quake victims

"My children have survived the quake but it looks like they are going to die of cold now"-- Rangla village survivor.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4331150.stm#

$272 million appeal

The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for $272m to help victims.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4330488.stm

Give one, give two

The Canadian government will match all public donations made during the next two weeks to the relief effort for victims of the earthquake in southern Asia, Prime Minister Paul Martin says.
Cbc