 Nottingham's Islamia School is raising money for the victims |
Emotions are running high as visitors and staff at the Pakistan Centre in Nottingham wait anxiously for news of relatives caught up in the South Asia earthquake. Shabbir Kataria, who works at the centre said: "The scale of the devastation of the 'quake is beginning to sink in.
"Everyone is trying to find out about loved ones and see what condition they are in."
He said blankets and shelter were most needed by people in the region.
An emergency flight left Nottingham East Midland's Airport on Tuesday night packed with supplies bound for the disaster-struck area.
Mr Kataria said ahead of the flight: "There is an extreme level of frustration over there because aid is not reaching the victims but the mountainous nature of the area and the state of the roads means it's difficult to get there.
"There is anger from a lot of people over there and this galvanises people here to raise more money."
 | HOW TO DONATE Disasters Emergency Committee |
That emotion has given strength and urgency to the launch of an appeal in the city headed by the Lord Mayor, Coun Mohammed Munir.
Mr Kataria said although 80% of Nottingham's 12,000-strong Pakistani community are from Kashmir, most are from either the Mirpur or Kotla regions, which have not been as severely affected as some areas.
At the Islamia School students Sadia and Kulsoom Chisti, who came from the area worst affected by the earthquake, said they are desperate news.
"In our village there are 500 houses and only two are left standing," said Sadia.
"About 100 people have been killed and 200-300 people are missing," she added.
Her sister Kulsoom said: "My cousin, my grandfather, my cousin's daughter and my auntie have all been killed or are missing."
Meanwhile, the sisters wait anxiously for news from their father who is an imam, and is now in Pakistan.
 Sadia and Kulsoom Chisti are waiting for word of their relatives |
Raza Khan of Nottingham said: "I come from Kashmir area of Bagh and I have lost about 300 in the earthquake - relatives who are either missing or injured.
"The whole village has disappeared so we don't know exactly how many have died," he said.
Included among the damaged properties is his own home, destroyed by the force of an earthquake which reached 7.6 on the Richter scale.
Mr Khan, who has only just returned from the region, will fly out again on Friday taking medical supplies with him if possible.
"No house is left undamaged - 99% of the houses in Bagh has been damaged. Most of them are mud houses and people are in the outdoors," he said.
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