Slow relief sparks protests

QUETTA - Severe earthquake of 6.4 magnitude which hit Balochistan on Wednesday has so far killed over 300 people and injured around 1,000 in several areas of Ziarat and Pishin.

The affected people in Ziarat and Khanozai area of Pishin blocked roads and staged protest demonstrations against poor supply of relief goods. They alleged that the pace of relief operation in their area was very slow which had further aggravated the situation.

The people of Zamar area in Ziarat alleged that after lapse of two days the govt was not providing proper relief to the affected people. They said that they had lost every thing in the earthquake but still their area was not being given due attention.

They alleged that the govt is focusing only on a few areas while other affected areas were being neglected.

District Nazim Ziarat Dilawar Khan Kakar talking to the newsmen said that  number of casualties might be around 400 persons. He said that thousands of people were struck by the tragedy as 47,000 people were rendered homeless and hundreds of houses were destroyed.

Dilawar Kakar said that the aftershocks of the earthquake further increased the miseries of the people who spent nights in open grounds in the cold weather. The death toll in affected areas rose to around 300 on Friday, but the Home Secretary said that so far 155 deaths had been confirmed.

Balochistan Provincial Minister Zamrak Khan said reports of fatalities were still arriving from different parts of affected districts.

‘The bodies of 215 people killed have been buried so far’, he said, adding, that the authorities are distributing thousands of tents, blankets, coats and food packages as nighttime temperature falls to freezing point.

According to spokesman of Home Department, Zafar Iqbal the relief operation was underway while the earthquake had destroyed 10 villages in Kawas and Ahmedoon Union Councils of Ziarat from where a total of 155 casualties and 347 injured had been confirmed while a survey is underway to ascertain the exact number of victims.

He said the provincial govt had also constituted a committee headed by DCO Ziarat and one representative of Pak Army and Balochistan Frontier Corps to assess the losses caused by earthquake in the district.