Desperate Afghan-Pakistan quake victims appeal for aid

Desperate survivors appealed for food and blankets Tuesday after a devastating earthquake killed more than 360 people in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as harsh weather, rugged terrain and pockets of militancy hampered rescue efforts.

The Afghan Taliban urged relief agencies to push ahead with aid deliveries to victims of Monday's powerful earthquake, which destroyed thousands of homes, triggered landslides and stampedes, and knocked out communication lines. 

Mass burial ceremonies were conducted in both countries as officials warned that the death toll could spike as entire communities remain inaccessible amid freezing winter conditions.

Pakistani officials were unable to reach authorities in the remote district of Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for a second day to see how its population of nearly half a million people had fared.

The bulk of the casualties recorded so far were in Pakistan, where 248 people were killed, including 202 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and more than 1,600 injured, disaster management authorities said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- believed to be one of the worst-hit districts with 49 reported dead so far -- where he pledged compensation for damaged homes, state media reported.

In Gandao village in Shangla the quake left homes completely flattened or riddled with cracks, forcing most of the population to camp out in the open amid freezing winter rain.

People desperately appealed to the government for quilts, blankets, sweaters and food rations as snowy conditions set in. 

Pic Courtesy : Yahoo News