Kashmir Earthquake LEDC case study

When: 8.40am 8th October 2005
Where: Kashmir
Magnitude: 7.6
Focus: 26km
Epicentre: Muzzafarabad
Lasted: 60 seconds
Why: Collision plate boundary - Indo Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate. The two plates have the same densities and are both continental crust, therefore when they meet there is NO subduction, the two plates buckle upwards to form fold mountains, in this case the Himalayas. Pressure builds up in the crust that is released suddenly, this is the earthquake.

Primary Effects
Buildings collapsed, windows shattered, roads cracked and bridges collapsed.
79 000 people were killed
100 000 injured
3.3 million were made homeless
Massive landslides occurred burying villages and cutting remote areas off completely.
The time of day meant that lots of children had just started their school day, many schools collapsed in the quake killing thousands of school children.


Secondary Effects
Fires broke out as gas pipes cracked.
Diseases such as cholera and typhoid spread quickly from dirty water and dead bodies.
The cold meant people caught pneunomia.
People died as a result of the cold because they only had tents to live in.

Long Term Effects
Rural areas were less badly effected as the crops and animals mainly survived.
Urban areas needed to be rebuilt, this took time and cost a lot of money, many people lost their jobs.
Electricity lines were bought down and this hampered the rebuilding of the cities.
3.3 million people were initially made homeless, 1 million people were still homeless 1 year on from the disaster.
Cost of the damage was estimated to be $5 billion.

Short Term Responses
Local people rescued those trapped.
Indian Red Cross distributed 21,500 blankets, 300 kitchen sets and medical supplies.
The military deployed helicopters.
Peoples' injuries were prioritised using a numbering system, the lower the number, the sooner you got rescued.
The border between Pakistan and India was opened to allow emergency supplies in.
Rapid UK worked alongside Muslim Aid in helping to rescue the trapped.
Military hospitals were opened for civilian casualties,


Long Term Responses
The Red Cross established water supplies in Muzaffarabad.
The Army and Red Crescent (Aid organisation) build makeshift shelters.
Schools are being rebuilt.
Teachers are being trained to counsel the traumatised childtren.
Builiding laws have been tightened on public buildings so that they should withstand future quakes.