In pictures: Earthquake Hits Pakistan-India Border

last SG · 2005-10-09T00:54:56+00:00

Reuters - Sun Dec 4, 9:47 AM ET England's Ian Bell plays an extra shot for the photographers out of a bunker in a charity golf tournament in aid of the ear...

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Muslims in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, offer special prayers for the victims of the quake.

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A quake victim in Muzaffarabad returns to her studies almost a week after hundreds of children were killed in their classrooms.

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Aid is delivered to desperate survivors at a makeshift camp in Muzaffarabad. Supplies are getting through to main towns but some remote villages in divided Kashmir are still cut off.

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Quake victim, Sakeena (right), awaits evacuation with her injured sister from Bagh in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

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Search and rescue teams from around the globe, including these from the Netherlands (left), working in Bagh, and Poland, working in Balakot, have arrived to help.

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Helicopter earthquake missions

Introduction

Helicopters are playing a vital role in the relief operation after last week's earthquake centred in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

It's dangerous work, one helicopter has already crashed killing all on board. And bad weather has left them grounded at times.

Chaklala airbase at the garrison city of Rawalpindi bursts into activity at 0630 every day.

The helicopter operation has already saved thousands of lives, the army says.

Text, photos: Aamer Ahmed Khan

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Ahead of time

The soldiers have a maximum of 25 minutes to load relief supplies.

The job is usually done well ahead of time and the helicopters are packed to capacity.

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International effort

By sunrise, only a few out of the 50-odd helicopters at Pakistan's disposal remain on the ground.

It is an international effort. As well as the Pakistani helicopters, there are Chinooks and Blackhawks from the United States and other helicopters from Afghanistan, France and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

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Jammed roads

This photo illustrates just why the helicopters are so important.

Many roads have been destroyed. Those still open, like this one, are often still jammed with traffic, leaving the helicopters as the fastest and most effective vehicles of delivering relief.

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Shelter and cold

From the air, makeshift encampments have become a familiar sight all over the quake-hit zone.

Perhaps these survivors are the lucky ones. Many others have no shelter and cold is becoming the biggest danger now.

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Army hit

Because of Pakistan and India's bitter disputer over Kashmir, this is a heavily militarised area.

Military installations like this one have been as badly hit as the civilian towns and villages.

There have been no official statements on how many soldiers were killed in the earthquake.

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Despair

Whenever things go wrong in this region, civilians look to the army for help.

This mother was one of many displaced villagers left in despair when they came to the military camp for help, only to find it in ruins.

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Too dangerous

The helicopters are busy doing whatever they can, hovering from one village to the next to drop blankets and tents.

Sometimes villagers are so desperate for supplies they stand underneath the helicopter, trying to catch the drop. That makes it too dangerous to go ahead with the drop.

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Multiple fractures

They land wherever they can, picking up the critically injured like this woman who is suffering multiple fractures.

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Makeshift

Here an American pilot examines his machine.

The injured are brought either to the makeshift relief base in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir or taken to Rawalpindi.

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Sunset

It is exhausting work.

The pilots repeat this cycle several times in a day, before returning to Chaklala at sunset.

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Relief in Kalgai tent city

As relief efforts throughout the quake region gather pace, Matt Brandon, who works as a tour operator in Indian-administered Kashmir, travelled to Kalgai, which has become one of the "tent cities" for survivors made homeless by the quake. He sent these photographs to the BBC News website.

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Kalgai tent city was set up by India's Border Security Force about 5km from the village of Uri. Here, Zubar Ahmed Mir, tries out his new home.

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Nahima (foreground left), was under the rubble of her home for 15 minutes while her brother and sisters pulled her out. The rest were safe in the kitchen as the house fell down around them.

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In Julla, in the district of Uri, men wait patiently for relief to arrive. The road that runs past Julla leads to the devastated town of Muzaffarabad in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

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