Kashmir Quake

From the BBC:

Pakistan says more than 1,000 people may have died in a powerful quake that also hit north India and Afghanistan.

The quake in Kashmir had a magnitude of at least 7.6. The epicentre was 80km (50 miles) north-east of Islamabad.

Pakistan's interior ministry said several villages had been wiped out. Sixty people are so far confirmed dead in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Rescuers are trying to reach dozens of residents feared trapped in collapsed buildings in Islamabad.

Terrible news. There are other reports of deaths in all three affected countries too.

Maybe, though, this horific disaster can be a cusp, an event giving rise to real and positive change. I would love to see the Indian and Pakistani governments really co-operate over disaster relief here - it would do so much to heal old wounds. I would also like to see the coalition forces in Afghanistan get into some serious "hearts and minds" work in affected parts of that nation - it would be a great way to undermine Taliban and al-Qaida efforts to control the borderland.

Update Associated Press now has an estimate of more than 30,000 dead. Pakistan is describing this quake as its worst ever disaster.