PAKISTAN: Mudslide kills 12 people in Pakistani Kashmir

A mudslide caused by torrential rain killed at least 12 people, including eight children, living in tents in the earthquake devastated capital of Pakistani Kashmir, an official said Monday (July 24). Among those killed were seven members of a family who had fled from a village in the Neelam valley after the October 8 quake that killed more than 75, 000 people and made more than 3 million homeless. Tens of thousands of people have been living in tents in Muzaffarabad since the quake, and the mountain slopes in the region remain susceptible to landslides. "The landslide occurred at around 3 o'clock at night because of the rains. It has totally destroyed the tent village, killing 12 people and injuring many," said one of the villagers. Meanwhile, rains caused havoc in low-lying areas of a poorer locality in Rawalpindi, clogging the drainage system, and compelling the city administration to ask residents to evacuate their homes. But most residents, with no where else to go, stayed in their flooded houses, trying to drain the water out while soldiers from the Pakistan army were on standby to pluck the people out in case the level of water rose further.

ITN Source | July 24, 2006

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