The Kashmir Earthquake

The Kashmir Earthquake

At 08:50:38 (GMT), on the 8th October 2005, an Earthquake occurred

affecting a place called Kashmir. The Earthquake registered 7.6 on the

magnitude scale. It was a major Earthquake. In Pakistan itself the

earthquake occurred five hours earlier due to the time difference. It

was the strongest earthquake for 70 years in Pakistan or India.

Kashmir itself is a disputed part of Pakistan, however at the moment

it is still an area which is being administered partly by Pakistan and

partly by India.

Death tolls were horrifically large in Pakistan as local authorities

reported that around 52,000 people died in Pakistan and approximately

2,000 were killed by this catastrophe in the Indian-administered part

of Kashmir. Local authorities reported the official death toll as

around 52,000 in Pakistan. The worst damaged done has been in the more

mountainous areas of the area concerned as dangers such as landslides

have been wiping out homes and shelter (also blocking roads). Last

week it was reported that 3,300,000 people fled from their homes as

the earthquake hit, but now they are left homeless as the earthquake

had shattered their homes. The UN say that more than 4,000,000 people

were affected by this monster. Disease has already started to spread

rapidly and many have died already. Many of them are at risk of dying

from the spread of disease. It was the strongest earthquake there, for

70 years.

[IMAGE] The earthquake has also unsettled the disputes among this

region. The area has already been fought over for many years by the

Pakistanis and the Indians. However, after the event, the disputes

have erupted into chaos in both political and geologic areas.

Kashmir lies right in the shadow of the Himalayas, probably the most

dangerous mountain range in the world. It stretches across 1,500 miles

from China to Pakistan and is the world’s youngest mountain range and

is by far the most dynamic.