A big earthquake epicentered in Kashmir hit northern India and Pakistan around 8:50 am local time. At 7.6 on the Richter scale, it’s bigger than the California quake of ’89 (7.1) which took down the upper deck of the Bay Bridge and sent cars plunging into the ocean.
A powerful earthquake centered in the Hindu Kush mountains of Pakistan on Saturday morning sent tremors across South Asia, killing more than 18,000 people… [Link]
The quake in Kashmir had a magnitude of at least 7.6. The epicentre was 80km (50 miles) north-east of Islamabad…
Two buildings of the Margalla Towers residential complex collapsed in [Islamabad]… there is a small hill of broken concrete over which and under which rescue workers are desperately trying to dig out survivors… In Indian-administered Kashmir, 157 civilians and 15 soldiers are confirmed dead and more than 600 people injured. [Link]
Qaiser Abbas, a receptionist in the building, said he was sitting in his office when the building suddenly began to shake. ”After five seconds, I heard big sound, and then about 40 apartments collapsed,” he said. He said some of the residents were foreigners, including Westerners and Central Asians. The building is in an upscale neighborhood of Islamabad…
”It was so strong that I saw buildings swaying. It was terrifying,” said Hari Singh, a guard in an apartment complex in the New Delhi suburb of Noida. Hundreds of residents there raced down from their apartments after their beds and couches started shaking. [AP]
Officials in the Indian-controlled portion reported 157 killed, including 14 soldiers who perished in a landslide.
Air force and army soldiers helped civilian authorities rescue people trapped under buildings. Telephone lines were down. Bridges had developed cracks, but traffic was passing over them. [Link]Screaming people rushed out of apartment buildings in the Indian capital, New Delhi, as the tremors began… the quake was felt throughout northern and central India… The area where the quake took place is known for its frequent seismic activity and experts have long predicted an imminent major earthquake in the Himalayan region. [Link]
The death toll seems comparable to that of the Gujarat quake:
In January 2001, some 30,000 people died in a magnitude 7.7 quake in western India. [Link]
Something we all can do.
I want to use this tragedy to remind people who are connected to Indian subcontinent that one of the biggest disasters waiting to happen – giant earthquakes within Himalayas. Historically, the Himalayan has not seen big earthquakes recently and the strain has been building up.
However,
If you live in India, please pester your elected officals for long-term earthquake risk mitigation policies. If you felt the earthquake, also contact Steve Martin who is building a comprehensive earthquake data base in India.
If you live in US, MacArthur Genius Award Brian Tucker had spent fair amount of time in Nepal and India trying to make schools earthquake ressitant. Please support him.
People like Roger Bilham from UC, Boulder and to lesser degree I have been making noise for a while.
Do something.
Correction:
It is Roger Bilham, not Roger Biham. Sorry.
I think this is a reason to step up India’s involvement not by war etc but actually helping the people of Kashmir. Show them by kindness who they really should belong to!
What I want to know is this: how can I blame White America in general, and George W. Bush specifically, for this disaster?
Besides compassion and humanity for the present disaster….
Please educate educate yourself about Himalayan risks – it is not an Indian problem only. It involes India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan.
Hope Stacey Martin does not notice me calling his name wrong in Comment #.1.
Intensity maps are very important for understanding earthquake risks and public policy. So if you live in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Afghanistan and felt the earthquake few hours ago, please visit his website asap. You help build them not some nerdy scientists.
I cannot over-emphasize Brian Tucker’s work. Perhaps, businesses with interest in South Asia could support GeoHazards International financially. Similar Indian organizations are like SEEDS.
There is an old adage “Earthquakes do not kill people, buildings do“.
Kush said:
Kush, you forgot how India works 🙂
Is there an International standard and certification for earth-quake proof buildings similar to the ISO standards? If so, the multi-nationals moving to India should demand from their landlords. I am not even going to bother stressing that it be a government mandated building code – cause every darn builder is going to bypass it.
Atleast this way you will have ‘some KPMG’ endorsed earthquake certified buildings – which hopefully in the long run will be a minimum standard for all buildings across the country.
OBBB wrote:
“Kush, you forgot how India works 🙂
Is there an International standard and certification for earth-quake proof buildings similar to the ISO standards? If so, the multi-nationals moving to India should demand from their landlords. I am not even going to bother stressing that it be a government mandated building code – cause every darn builder is going to bypass it.”
I know. About two years ago, I gave a small talk in a research organization in India and after the talk about 3-4 people came and asked me how long ago did I left India because, I did sound totally clueless at many ocasions.
You are right. There are building codes and multiple solutions for earthquake resistant buildings depending on the wealth of the nation – Japan, USA, Turkey. There is no dearth of knowledge regarding structural engineering of earthquake resistant buildngs.
My background is in geophysics and not civil engineering. Civil engineering was a very favorite subject amongst desis before IT/ biotech boom. Hopefully, one of them will answer the question in a better manner on this thread.
Something has to be done – Your idea might be the most realistic.
Hey mutineers, can you please raise your hand if you’re Kashmiri or Afgahni or otherwise have experience in the area, and know of NGOs you trust and believe in. Groups you personally would be willing to send $10 to if you could. I’m curious to see what kind of list the diaspora-hive-mind can come up with.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who went to sleep either expecting to wake up for their suhoor (morning meal) for another day of ramadhan, or for another normal day in general, and who instead were lost in this terrible tragedy. That should be the concern of any normal human right now, in addition to donating. I have a distinct feeling that if this had happened in the west, the last 8 posters would be considerably more sympathetic in their reactions. In fact, I am frankly amazed that everyone seems to be focusing on ancillary issues. This affects India, Pakistan and Kashmir on the human level – and yet some posters are more concerned with the godamn politics of it all. Shocking.
You’re being pretty damn short-sighted. Halfway functional government would prevent mass death. The California quake’s death toll in ’89 was only 66 people. Yet in Pakistan; Gujarat; Bam, Iran, developers bribe officials, save a few rupees and kill thousands of people when their buildings predictably collapse.
Nice job.
It’s not ‘ancillary’ when it happens with regularity every couple of years.
“In fact, I am frankly amazed that everyone seems to be focusing on ancillary issues.”
Look guy, I am probably going to Pakistan soon – sometimes next year for earthquake related stuff.
I have full empathy/ pain for suffering for today’s earthquake, especially in the month of Ramadhan. I wanted to highlight the vulnerability of school children and Brian Tucker’s work – and you want to tell me I am dealing ancilliary issues.
I will repeat again – earthquakes do not kill people, shoddy buildings and bad planning. This is the time to talk otherwise you will never ever even listen.
Latest estimates are of 18,000 dead in Pakistan alone.
for god’s sake, dude. show some shame.
I been watching the reports of the rising death toll with increasing dread. I was present in Japan when the Kobe quake took over 5000 lives and rendered much of Kobe homeless. This is obviously far worse. A grim and saddening tragedy and my heart goes out to all affected.
over 20000 folks as of this morning… this is tragic…
there are more natural disasters/tragedies in these last few months than i can recall.. does anyone feel the same way?
from the tsunami to hurricanes to earthquakes…
ugh.
A wiki as a resource/ help platform for the yesterday’s earthquake
http://quakehelp.blogspot.com/
It’s a terrible tragedy. But as Manish pointed out, most of the casualties are man-made. Widespread corruption and the absence of the rule of law in developing countries is the number one killer.
I am strongly begging Pakistanis, Pakistani expats, and well-wishers to put pressure on Pakistani Government to accept India’s offer for help. This is a humanitarian crisis. As,we all share a common enemy.
Lives can still be saved. Forget Politics. Act now, brother. Before it is too late.
The Amitabh clip is from Trishul. Often described as unconventional in the looks deptartment. Aren’t we all. Nice touch.
If anyone does feel like donating, I suggest this charity.
USA Edhi international Foundation. 42-07 National street Corona, New York, 11368 USA Tel: (718)(639-5120) Fax:(718)(335-1978)
Have a region with a history of recent earthquakes ? built six new nuclear plants Also the tremors effected the Indian Punjab, only three deaths but tremors were felt here as recently as 2003 the latest quake seems as bad if not worse then the 1905 Punjab Quake
A great list of the organizations doing relief work on the ground: http://www.insanityworks.org//earthquake_relief.html
South Asia quake help blog: http://quakehelp.blogspot.com/
Islamic Relief: http://www.irw.org/asiaquake/
Brian Tucker’s organization to encourage earthquake resistant building: http://www.geohaz.org/
An aid drop off point in Islamabad at AMAL (an non-governmental organization: http://www.amal-hdn.org/) has been set up, the address is as follows:
7, St.62, G-6/4, Islamabad
Contact person: Merhunnisa Yusaf phone: +92300 5002657 mehrunnisa.yusuf@gmail.com
Here is a rather comprehensive series on the civil engineering aspects in the indian context
author: prof. c.v.r. murty, iit kanpur
the first link is
Introduction
and goes all the way to EQTip24.pdf
Indian Seismic Codes
has info on Indian Seismic codes
Sepia Mutineers,
BBC Radio Live (Pods and Blogs) interviewd me and Brian Tucker from GeoHazards International regarding Kashmir earthquake, Himalayan risks and mitigation.
They introduced me as a sepia mutiny blogger – sorry, guys!! However, I am glad for awareness, hope it endures.
Kush
here you go.
anyway, can i put a pitch in for folks to contribute to the general funds of the organizations they trust, rather than directed funds for the earthquake in particular? the reasoning is that events that really hit the news (like the tsunami or hurricane katrina) are more likely to get relief, while other work that groups do but is just as valubale is harder to get funding for.
fyi, I’m talking about groups you really trust (for me, a group like doctors withouth borders).
saurav, so US foreign policy in 1945 is responsible for the earthquake in Pakistan? I find your ideas intriguing, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
I agree with you, sensitive legume. It reminds me of that Dennis Quaid “Day After Tomorrow”… it’s like the earth is sticking its finger down its throat and purging…
“there are more natural disasters/tragedies in these last few months than i can recall.. does anyone feel the same way?”
No, not at all. It is just these catastrophic events recently are hitting the places that are populated. A magnitude 8 earthquake in the Aleutians or a local tsunami near a life-less island or a hurricane on some remote does not even make news.
The radio program “The World” has been doing a number of informative reports on the earthquake, including one yesterday that examines the political consequences of the earthquake on Musharaff and his support for jihadis. It includes an interview with Sumit Ganguly of Indiana University.
A story today profiled a number of efforts by expatriate communities to respond to the survivors’ needs. The first one focused on a school in Bradford, UK. The second was on the Pakistani community in Brooklyn. The third focused on Indian-American efforts.
The third one was reported by Anita Desai, who seems to have taken a page out of the Somini Sengupta book of journalism – piss on the efforts of IAs. She makes the claim that IA groups are often considered less organized than their Pakistani counterparts, which will come as a shock to Pakistanis who claim just the opposite.
While today’s programs are probably not on their webpage yet, you can listen to yesterday’s at:
http://www.theworld.org
Kush,
So the original statement was partially-correct, ie. there are more natural tragedies happening these days (even if disasters in less populated areas go relatively un-noticed)….
DesiDancer,
That’s one hell of an image, I’d never thought of it that way. The Earth suffers from bulemia, eh…
There is a lot of strange stuff happening these days; one large-scale natural disaster with mass fatalities after another. I wonder what’s going on.
Anyway, for anyone wanting to find out more information — contacting relatives in the affected areas, or to make donations etc — the Picked Politics blog has listed a large number of contact details here.
Mr.Kush, How about a public interest writ petition in Indian Supreme Court for mandatory and stricter enforcement of structural safety norms in new construction and for strengthening existing buildings by re-trofitting? Are you aware a similar writ is already pending before the SC and Indian Govt. in its affidavite filed in the last week of Sep. 2005 (that is immediately before Hindu-Kush Earthquake on 8th Oct.) has releived itself of any onus to ensure structural safety of buildings to protect the lives and propoerties of Indian population, passing the buck upon ill-resourced and financially and technically week and inillegitant local municipal and panchyat bodies instead. Interested in details, contact the undersigned – pleader of the Petitioner Society for Safe Structures at Delhi. Ph: Mobile 9871228998 Air tel Delhi.
Anil,
I have sent you an email. Please tell us (me) what to do.
I am very glad that Delhi is responding. Let me briefly talk about Mexico city and their efforts in earthquake prepardness. If the epicenter of future earthquakes are far enough, say in Kathmandu valley and yet close to play havoc – you can build an advance warning system.
The surface waves (the waves that travel close to the surface of the earth and they cause most of the damage) travel slower than other types of waves during an earthquake. You can build an advance warning system that alerts key centers and lifeline buildings in the city. This should be in addition to retro-fitting of lifeline buildings and schools.
I am not talking about first-world efforts like Japan and USA but using an example of Mexico.
Note: I am using Kathmandu valley example for Delhi not Mexico city. However, I want to alert sepia mutiny readers about incredible foresight by Mexico city.
This page is not up to my standard:it is very dull and it only has one picture on it so there is not really a picture in your head of whats going on!!!!!
Also, make it look a bit colourful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!