UN warns of further tragedy in quake zone

THE head of the UN refugee agency, stunned by the damage in earthquake-ravaged northern Pakistan, warned yesterday that urgent work is needed to avert further tragedy as troops race against time to get aid to the most vulnerable before the frigid Himalayan winter sets in.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres met with officials in Pakistani-held Kashmir, toured a tent camp for quake survivors and visited what is left of Balakot, a town largely flattened by the October 8 quake, which killed an estimated 86,000 people and destroyed the homes of more than three million in Pakistan. A further 1,350 died in Indian-held Kashmir.

Heading into Balakot aboard a UN helicopter, Mr Guterres peered at hillsides covered by the jumbled rubble of what were once homes, shops and schools.

“It is absolutely awful. I have no words to express my feelings,” he said. “I don’t remember ever having seen a disaster of these proportions.”

Mr Guterres urged the world to maintain momentum in recovery efforts. He called it “a political and moral duty to be here and be totally engaged”, emphasising that Pakistan has hosted millions of refugees from war and persecution in neighbouring Afghanistan.

“It is time for the international community to pay back,” he said. “That means rebuilding their lives.”

Also seeing the quake zone was actress Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR. She visited Balakot and flew to a remote valley aboard a helicopter that brought food, blankets and plastic sheets.

Mr Guterres told officials and aid workers they must prepare for thousands of people expected to flee harsh conditions when the snow comes - and ensure that villagers who remain in the ruins of their shattered highland homes get help.

“We are doing our best to ensure that everybody, even in the most remote locations, gets enough support to face the winter and to get through the winter without tragedy,” he said.

The top official in Pakistani-held Kashmir, Sikander Hayat, told Mr Guterres the government expects more than 40,000 people from towns and villages above 1,500 metres to descend to the provincial capital, Muzaffarabad, once the weather worsens.