Situation of WWF Abbottabad/Palas Office & Muzaffarabad after the earthquake

WWF – Pakistan in wake of the recent earthquake disaster that shook the entire nation and especially the northern areas (Muzaffarabad, AJK) on October 8 th 2005, has been following up on the welfare of its staff, WWF – Pakistan's offices and relief work being carrying out these areas. WWF – Pakistan in its capacity has initiated a relief fund to redress people's woes that have been affected by earthquake in Muzaffarabad and its adjoining areas, as they have been declared the worst hit areas. WWF – Pakistan 's staff has donated generously in WWF – Pakistan 's Fund for earthquake victims. The relief goods have been despatched to these areas with the help of its Islamabad office.

According to the latest update on the earthquake disaster in Kohistan District, it was learnt that this District was fortunate enough not to be hit as bad as other parts of the region. Efforts are being made to acquire reliable data about people who have been severely affected in Palas in this earthquake. So far there have been reports of about 100 dead and many injured. Most of the people who were injured in the earthquake were the ones who were cutting grass at that moment and were hit by the falling stones and boulders. The houses were badly damaged, a large number of them have been razed to the ground and some of them have been declared unsafe for living as large cracks have appeared in the roofs and walls of these houses.

So far, relief aid could not be delivered to Palas though the severely injured people were evacuated from Pattan with the help of helicopters. Many people have been forced to spend the night in the open grounds as there are no tents available for them and it is also feared that food rations will also run out soon. A large number of livestock has also died as they could not be removed from the sheds. The precipitous terracing that supports agriculture in these areas has also suffered tremendously.

Up till now, there have been no reports of damages to property from WWF – Pakistan 's Kohistan office and the only loss in WWF – Pakistan 's Abbottabad office has been the razing of the outer office wall. All the local staff and their families survived the earthquake and Razwal Kohistani and Anees Ahmed managed to walk safely from Pattan to Battgram. Members of Razwal's family were injured quite severely but have received treatment and are recovering. The houses of WWF – Pakistan Abbottabad office staff Anees and Toseef were damaged badly. There have been earthquakes of medium intensity in Abbottabad which has disturbed the locals and they are living in a state of constant fear and people have been unable to start their daily routine.

Unfortunately, WWF – Pakistan 's old PCPD colleagues Mustafa (IRD Sector, PCDP) and his entire family were killed in Battal and also brother of Dr. Wali, Saif-ur-Rehman, lost his life in Balakot. There are a lot of other friends and acquaintances that have also lost their lives in the earthquake.

WWF – Pakistan has ceased all field work and at present the Abbottabad office is the focal point for DfID/WWF activities. WWF – Pakistan Abbottabad staff, Anees and Toseef is in contact with the office and have also begun repairing their homes. Similarly, Razwal is attending his family patients and Asim is here carrying on with the administrative work in WWF – Pakistan Abbottabad office.

WWF – Pakistan is securing and dispatching emergency relief aid for the people of Palas. WWF – Pakistan Abbottabad staff Rab Nawaz will soon visit the valley by helicopter to assess the situation and then, with the kind assistance of Brigadier Mukhtar, start transporting relief aid to the valley. WWF – Pakistan is also in touch with its partners in the UK and other countries to raise funds for the earthquake victims.

WWF – Pakistan Muzaffarabad office has been destroyed completely in the recent earthquake. Fortunately, there was no loss of life as it was a weekly holiday but the homes of all the staff members have been completely destroyed. Nausheen Malik's, WWF – Pakistan staff, sister-in-law and nephew and Omer Din's daughter were the earthquake victims and lost their lives in it. It is assumed that casualties in Behri, Machiara and Surly Sacha will be high. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of four of WWF – Pakistan Muzaffarabad Community Motivators is still not known. Efforts are being made to get in touch with them on immediate basis. WWF – Pakistan is grieved at such a tremendous loss of life and property in this earthquake and is extending its maximum support to these people.