Quake victims face bitter cold

2005-11-21 12:07

Sydney - The commander of Australian troops providing aid to earthquake-devastated Pakistan played down fears on Monday that the onset of winter could bring a second wave of deaths to the stricken region.

As Australian Prime Minister John Howard headed for his first visit to Pakistan to discuss further quake relief aid, Australian Defence Force Colonel Andrew Sims said survivors were well prepared for the cold weather.

"The people here are being well looked after - they are getting shelter and food. I'm sure in anyone's view it is never enough, but they are surviving and getting support," said Sims.

"At the moment shelters and blankets are literally stacked up waiting for people to come if the people need it, so I don't think that's a big concern," he said.

"And over time, granted it is going to be exceptionally cold and we're getting a bit of experience of that now, but they seem to be well prepared to cover themselves over the winter period."

Many more could die in harsh winter

A meeting of international donors in Islamabad over the weekend pledged to give Pakistan $5.8bn to help it rebuild northern areas devastated by last month's massive earthquake.

The October 8 quake, one of the worst natural disasters in a century, left nearly 74 000 people dead, twice as many injured and 3.5 million homeless, most of them in northern Pakistani Kashmir.

The donors conference heard Pakistani and international aid officials warn that thousands more people could die if sufficient aid did not arrive before the harsh Himalayan winter sets in.

"We must ensure the earthquake does not claim more lives than it already has," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told the meeting.

"The pitiless Himalayan winter is almost upon us and growing more and more severe every week. We must sustain our efforts to keep people as healthy and as strong as possible until we can rebuild," he said.

Australia to provide more relief

Howard meanwhile was due to hold talks with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during his three-day visit.

The Australian government announced last month that it would spend up to A$20m sending a team of 140 military personnel to the devastated Kashmir region for about three months to help earthquake victims.

Australia has also provided about A$15m in earthquake relief and Howard is expected to announce additional assistance during this week's visit.

He was also expected to discuss how Australia can expand its political and trade relationship with Pakistan, particularly in the areas of agriculture and education.

Howard's visit follows an official trip to Australia by Musharraf in June.

- AFP