Pakistan Earthquake Death Toll Soars as Christian Aid Agencies Plead for Funds

Christian aid agencies continue to provide relief to the Pakistan region in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. However, the Pakistani government has announced that it cannot confirm reports that the death toll from the South Asia quake has jumped from more than 74,000 to 87,000.

|PIC1|A spokesperson for the government’s relief commission reported to the BBC, “We don’t agree with that.”

It has been apparent that the government’s figures have been consistently lower than those of other relief bodies working in the region, report the BBC. However, one thing that is agreed upon is the urgency that is required to help the estimated three million people left homeless in the region before winter sets in.

Confusion over the official figures emerged early on Tuesday when Iqbal Ahmed Khan, the finance ministry advisor reported that the death toll had soared to 87,000. Khan stated that this was the official figure reported to him by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, after they reportedly found unlisted casualties in areas which had been cut off by landslides.

The United Nations has warned that this death toll is almost certain to rise further as winter approaches, and it has once again stepped up its appeal for more money to build shelters. The UN estimates that 350,000 still require accommodation.

Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian chief commented, “What is particularly difficult in Kashmir is that people [will] freeze to death if they don't get assistance in weeks,” according to the BBC.

He continued, “It's even more urgent than it was in these other hurricanes or tsunamis.”

|TOP|Recently in a BBC interview, the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf spoke critically of the West, saying that it was doing far too little for the hurricane victims. He said that Pakistan had not received anywhere near as much aid as had been given in the tsunami last year, or Hurricane Katrina over the summer.

Christian Aid has reported that it expects the death toll to climb as hundreds of thousands, including an estimated 120,000 children, have still not been reached by any aid whatsoever.

Already the desperate situation is apparent to all working in the region, as snow has already begun falling in some of the high-altitude areas, and temperatures at night time are dropping to below freezing. However, Christian Aid tell that still thousands remain without shelter, food or any medical assistance.

The Christian agency comment that even one news source recently reported the story of villagers who were forced to dig through landslide debris for eight days to clear a path for transporting injured to the nearest clinic.

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