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Earthquake

Kashmir earthquake

8 October 2005 Muzaffarabad, Kashmir · Pakistan and India

Kashmir earthquake
Image: Orlovic · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
86,000Deaths
3MDisplaced / homeless
$5bnEstimated cost

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes the mountains on a Saturday morning, a school day. The approaching Himalayan winter makes relief extremely difficult.

Consequences

Human consequences

Nearly 19,000 children die, most of them in collapsed schools.

Environmental consequences

A giant landslide at Hattian Bala forms a natural dam lake.

Economic consequences

Mountain villages, roads and utilities have to be rebuilt from scratch.

Political consequences

India and Pakistan exceptionally open crossing points on the Line of Control.

Further reading

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