Pakistan: Whole generation lost in quake
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-10-11 05:54

Zeeshan sits on rubble of his house destroyed by a huge earthquake in Gari Habibullah, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005. [AP]

Volunteers and relatives of hundreds of parents at the Shaheen Public School helped to get the two children out of the debris and people recited verses from the Muslim holy book the Koran and cried Allahu-Akbar (God is great).

Donor nations rushed doctors, helicopters, food, tents and sniffer dogs to Pakistan yesterday as the death toll from the disaster mounted.

Aid agencies said more than 120,000 people were in urgent need of shelter and up to 4 million could be left homeless by the 7.6 magnitude earthquake which wrecked buildings and villages in Pakistan's northern mountains.

World leaders stepped up pledges of support yesterday, sending more rescue teams and helicopters, while an eight-member UN team began coordinating relief in the worst-hit areas. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he had instructed all parts of the UN system to do everything possible to help.