Kashmir Earthquake – Essay Task By Varji Thayalan
The Kashmir earthquake happened on Saturday October 5th 2005, at 8:50am local time which had a magnitude of 7.6. 74,500+ were dead and 106,000+ were injured in the Kashmir region of Northern Pakistan which was the 14th deadliest earthquake of all time. Its focus was 26km down and the shaking lasted for 60 seconds (1 Minute). The most badly affected area was in the Epicentral area around Muzaffarabad which is the capital of the Pakistan administered region of Kashmir. It is 80km north-east of Islamabad. 20 aftershocks were followed after the earthquake. It is said to be the strongest earthquake to hit the region in a century. The primary effects of the Kashmir earthquake included: Several trains on minor lines were derailed, 3.3 million homes were destroyed, 79,000 people were killed and 100,000 injured. Secondary effects included: Electricity, gas and water supplies were disrupted, an outbreak of diarrhea spread from contaminated water supplies, respiratory infections such as pneumonia and people died of cold and starvation during the harsh winter season especially homeless people. Longer term effects of the Kashmir Earthquake included: The overall cost of the damage was $1000,000, 3.3 million people had to live in temporary accommodation until rebuilding could start and in rural areas the crops mostly survived and so did the animals living there.