Amid the chaos that resulted in the aftermath of the South Asia earthquake that has left thousands dead and even more injured and homeless came a heart-wrenching story of a man torn by the disaster. Speaking to real life survivors of the quake last night, I heard of the man whose wife had passed away during the worst calamity that has hit the region during the last century. His two children had both been trapped underneath the remains of a building that collapsed during the quake in the city of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. Unable to pull them out from the rubble and not able to withstand their excruciating cries of pain, he chose to ease their suffering by killing them, and later committed suicide.

This is just one of the many troubling stories I have heard since the last 2 days, speaking to relatives and friends living near the epicentre of the earthquake. The official death toll had topped 30,000 last night, but speaking to people who have witnessed the results of the disaster, I was told it may be closer to 80,000 or even more. Estimates state that 75% of the city of Muzaffarabad is filled with completely wiped out houses and buildings that have been brought to the ground; while school playgrounds have been turned into mass graveyards. Many of the nearby villages have perished completely, leaving behind no signs of life.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging that the roads to the hitherto inaccessible cities in Pakistani Kashmir have been cleared of the rubble and aid is on the way to the people most in need. People all over the world have been contributing generously to the relief effort with aid coming from several countries and international organisations as well the Gulf state of Kuwait that has pledged $100 million in aid to Pakistan. I personally know people who have been contributing truckloads of food, clothing, tents and medicine to the survivors. Also encouraging is the fact that survivors are still being rescued from the rubble, with a 13-month-old boy emerged last night from the collapse of a building thanks to the rescue efforts of the local villagers.