Raja Bazar, Rawalpindi
One way which Churches and Christian groups can contribute to the work of the BPCA (Click here)
A powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.7 has struck northern Pakistan, according to United States Geological Survey. Tremors have been felt in major cities,
including Lahore, Faislabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Karachi, Sawat, Noshera, Kohat and Malakand. The earthquake has also been felt across
Afghanistan and parts of India. So far the death toll is standing at 45 recorded deaths, however this count is expected to increase. Many
buildings have been flattened in the hilly areas of Pakistan in the north, Peshawar being one of the worst hit areas with at least 2 people dead and
164 injured there. Generally the most affected are the poor and vulnerable and we are concerned that some families will be left without adequate
shelter as winter approaches.
Mehwish Bhatti our officer based in Islamabad spoke of her fear this morning. She said:
“People from my street felt the earth shuddering, we all came out to see what had happened. Many of us initially thought it may have been a really
bad terrorist attack, but the shaking continued for 3 minutes, this is when we realised it was something more serious. People are extremely frightened
and new reports of further impending tremors have caused mass hysteria.”
She added:
“I have experienced earthquakes before. Around 10 years ago when I was still at school, the whole building shook and an alarm sounded. We were quickly
evacuated to the open field by the school for safety, taking nothing with us. That previous tremor was so severe my school was closed for a week
for repairs and our belongings were left behind there.”
Despite a small mention of the United States Geological Survey and warning given by them to Pakistan in a news story yesterday. the Government of Pakistan
failed to declare a national emergency alert, which is a usual protocol to be followed in such circumstances.
We have sent our officers out to different areas to see how we can effectively respond to this disaster and have initiated an aid and recovery appeal. It has been difficult to communicate as telephone networks have been extremely busy and affected by earthquake damage causing extensive network failures.
Please consider giving to our disaster appeal. Donations can be sent using these bank details:
Payee: BPCA
Sort Code: 20-44-22
Account number: 43163318
Bank: Barclays
Ref: Love for Pakistan: Urgent Earthquake Response
For international donations please use these details:
IBAN: GB62 BARC 20442243163318
SWIFTBIC: BARCGB22
Alternatively you can use the PayPal facility on the top right hand corner of our blog, our PayPal email address is info@britishpakistanichristians.org.
Cheques should be made payable to the BPCA to our address: 57 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1XG.
BRITISH PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION is a trading name for BRITISH PAKISTANI CHRISTIANS LTD which is a charity entered onto the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1163363
Thank you.
With your support we hope to change the lives of millions of Pakistani Christians.
Image from a previous earthquake in Pakistan