The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred in the disputed Kashmir region located along the border of India and Pakistan. The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck near the cities of Muzaffarabad and Balakot, killing over 74,000 people in Pakistan and 1,307 in India. The earthquake destroyed homes and infrastructure, leaving over 3 million people homeless. A lack of evacuation plans and poorly constructed buildings exacerbated the death and destruction from the powerful earthquake.

1. Case study: Kashmir Earthquake 2005
Where did it happen? Kashmir is the north-western area of the
Indian subcontinent. The country to which Kashmir belongs has
been widely disputed in the past and it is currently owned by
India, Pakistan and China. The earthquake occurred in the border
between the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and the Indian-controlled Kasmir, near the cities of
Muzaffarabad and Balakot. Kashmir is found on the destructive boundary between the
Eurasian plate and the Indian plate.
What happened? At 8:50am on the 8th October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Pakistan
controlled region of Kashmir. The epicentre struck 19km north north-east of Muzaffarabad,
60kmfrom Islamabad (the capital), at a depth of 26km below the surface.
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Primary effects
Cities like Balakot, Muzaffarabad,
Bagh, and all small villages being
razed to the ground, all roads were
destroyed.Towns in Indian held
Kashmir were also affected.
Of the 564 hospitals in the affected
area, 291 are destroyed, 74 partially
damaged and only 199 are
functioning.
Large amounts of farmland destroyed
74,689 people were killed in
Pakistan, 1,307 in India
Over 79,000 injured in Pakistani
side; 4,500 in Indian side.
Over 3 million homeless in Pakistani
side; 1 million in Indian side.
472,383 houses destroyed total.
3.2 to 3.5 million people require
medical care
It devastated an area of more the
30,000 square miles. Whole
mountain sides fell into rivers,
villages disappeared.
Large landslides along the fault.
Parts of the mountains around the
epicentre have risen by a few metres.
Large cracks appeared in the surface.
Secondary effects
Because of lack of medical
treatment, people are dying from
treatable illnesses such as
malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea,
tetanus. Without immunizations,
children are particularly at risk.
After 1 year 400,000 people spent a
second winter without a permanent
shelter
Less people have access to education
due to fewer schools being rebuilt.

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Immediate responses
$62 billion of aid was pledged
Locals tried to help people who were
trapped in buildings.
Military hospitals opened for civilian
casualties
Long term responses
Indian government has not requested
international assistance.
Re-establishing water supplies
Rebuilding homes
How was the hazard managed?There was no evacuation procedure in place in case of an earthquake
and the buildings were poorly built and prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake. The hazard
was not managed.
Why was the death toll so high?Happened on a Saturday morning when children were in school so
children were trapped by the school buildings collapsing. The earthquake occurred in the month of
Ramadan so many people were napping after having a pre-dawn meal which meant that they were
killed in their beds when their houses collapsed.