The Kashmir earthquake of 2005

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The Kashmir earthquake 2005

The earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck Muzaffarabad in Pakistan on the 8th October 2005, at 08:52. It had a depth of 10km. The death toll was reported at 75,000. More than 1,000 aftershocks have been recorded, and it is believed there were in excess of 106,000 quake-related injuries.

It was caused by destructive plate tectonics, after the pressure build-up between the Eurasian and Indian plates was too great.

        The effects of the quake were felt by areas in Pakistan such as the city of Karachi and the province Punjab. Four deaths were reported in Afghanistan. The earthquake caused the mountains to rise by several meters. This proves conclusively that the Himalayas are rising.

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           As Saturday is habitually a school day in Pakistan, many children were at their schools when the quake stuck and were buried under collapsed buildings. Hospitals and services such as armed forces and police were virtually immobilised as infrastructure collapsed and communication became virtually non-existent. It was the month of Ramadan when the quake struck, for which reason many were asleep and therefore had no time to escape buildings, which were poorly constructed and unable to resist the strong up thrust. More than $4.5 billion in aid flooded in, with US marine and army helicopters ...

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