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| Victims of 2005 quake remembered on fourth anniversary |
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Friday, October 09, 2009
Myra Imran
Islamabad
To remember the unfortunate day of October 8, 2005 when Islamabad woke up to a high intensity earthquake, a large number of residents mostly schoolchildren and youth gathered at the remains of Margalla Towers.
As many as 73 people were killed and 100 others injured in the temblor that brought down one of the towers in a matter of seconds, more because of design faults than the might of the quake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale. Even after a long period of four years, a portion of the Margalla Towers that stands with a massive lean continues to serve as a grim reminder of the earthquake that struck Islamabad that fateful morning in 2005.
Away from Islamabad however, the earthquake devastated large parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and North West Frontier Province where over 100,000 people perished in what was the worst tragedy ever in the country’s history.
There were emotional scenes around the abandoned tower that went to show what impact the tragedy has had on the minds of the locals. The relatives of those who lost their loved ones in the collapse pasted cards on a small monument that has names of those killed. “Love from Ami, Abu and the whole family,” read one of the cards.
The groups of students accompanied by their teachers kept arriving at the monument throughout the day and soon the site was filled with flowers. Some carried bouquets whereas others brought only a rose bud, but the emotions of grief were the same. With tears in their eyes, they observed a five minute-silence and prayed for the departed souls exactly at 8:50 a.m., the time when the earthquake struck. In the evening, representatives of NGOs, academicians and residents lit candles at the foot of the tower.
Representing the Disaster Management Institute of Preston University, Dr Razaq Memon said that the day reminds everyone to prepare and take every precautionary measure to face such a natural disaster. He said that there was a need to raise awareness among people about the new building codes. “They should be told that the new building codes may cost a bit more, but it is vital to follow it as the area we are living, falls on a dangerous fault line.”
Telling an easy way to judge whether one’s house is safe from earthquake, Memon said that if we hammer a nail into a wall and it goes in easily it means the material used for construction is not of good quality and the house requires immediate reinforcement. Syed Altaf, a one-time resident of Margalla Towers told ‘The News’ that the findings of the inquiry into the collapse of the tower should be made public. “It has been five years now, but those responsible for the faulty construction, have not been punished,” he said.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
