Pak quake survivors beg for shelter as winter sets in

Peshawar, Nov 3 : The quake-hit people in Balochistan are begging for shelter from the Pakistani authorities ahead of the winter season.

A strong earthquake of 6.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale had struck the province on Wednesday, killing at least 215 people and destroying thousands of mud houses.

The epicentre was in Ziarat - a picturesque valley where night-time temperatures have falling below freezing.

"We've got food, we've got relief, but we don't have tents which can save our children from the cold," said Rehmat Kakar, a 70-year-old farmer standing by the rubble of his house in Wam Khazi village.

"We want those tents urgently ... please save our children, don't let them die," Kakar said and added that four of his seven children were killed in the quake. Scores of aftershocks - some nearly as strong as the original quake - have jolted the region since Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has appealed for 7.7 million dollars to step up its emergency operations. "Our priority will be to provide shelter as winter sets in," said Pascal Cuttat, the head of the ICRC delegation in Islamabad.

"Because of continuing aftershocks, many people decided to sleep outdoors at altitudes of 2000 to 2500 metres," he added.

Another villager said with winter just weeks away, government aid efforts would be too slow. "They should just give us money and let us rebuild our own houses," said Abdul Wahid.

ANI