Razz's Ramblings

A powerful earthquake measuring a whopping 7.6 on the richter scale has hit Pakistan today. A country which is not used to such earthquakes and where the majority of the population is poor, was bound to suffer heavy losses as a result. While an apartment block in Islamabad grabbed all the media attention, the real damage was done in Azad Kashmir where according to reports entire villages have been "wiped out" and as much as 80% of Muzaffarabad has been destroyed. Particularly disturbing were the stories of deaths of schoolchildren, scores of them, as many as 400 in a single school! The tragedy is well and truly beyond comprehension.

I remember seeing a documentary on the National Geographic channel an year or two ago about the formation of the Himalayas. The sub-continental region comprising India and Pakistan used to be a separate continent till it joined up with mainland ASIA thus creating the Himalayas and the other mountain ranges. What it also did was to create extraordinary pressure under the earth's crust, which is released from time to time in the form of quakes. Scientists on that program said the region was due to get "severe" quakes in the coming decades, which sadly was found to be true today.

BBC's website also carries a similiar article on this titled S Asia's deadly Himalayan fault.

Our thoughts and grievances are with the people affected by this disaster. May God give them the courage to live through such treacherous times. Amen.