Thousands trapped in tourist resort

Mohammad Bashir Zaman, a guide, is among thousands of people still trapped in the popular Pakistani tourist resort of Naran, following the devastating regional earthquake of 8 October. Whereas only two or three lives were lost in the Naran area - one of the most popular destinations in the Kaghan valley - following the quake most local people have been trapped in the area by landslides on roads, unable to travel southwards and now desperately short of food. "The situation here is very bad. Many buildings are damaged, including the resort run by the PTDC [Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation] by the riverside, and we quite literally have no food supplies," said Zaman, speaking over the telephone. He also reported that the first snows of winter had already fallen in the area, located 10,500ft [do we prefer metres rather than feet?] above sea level and some 280 km north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Some of Pakistan's most frequented tourist spots, including the sparkling, turquoise Saiful Muluk lake, bound in by some of the world's highest mountains, lies a stone's throw from Naran, and thousands visit the area each year. At least 20,000 people are believed to be trapped between Naran and the Barowai area further north, unable to move southwards because roads are still not open. While teams of military engineers have been at work attempting to clear roads, new rock falls and landslides caused by aftershocks have repeatedly thwarted them. "Conditions now are really bad here. There has been no relief dropped by helicopter or provided through any other means. I can't understand why aid is not being dropped by chopper. Perhaps attention has not been given because the number of deaths here is very small," maintained Zaman. He added that because many buildings were damaged, people preferred not to venture into them, despite the freezing weather. In other quake-hit mountain areas, both in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a similar situation is emerging, local officials have said. Relief, in many cases, has gone towards areas where a large number of deaths have been reported. But in other areas too winter is fast approaching, local people say, leaving them isolated without shelter and without food supplies. From the Naran area, usually covered in three metres of snow in winter, most people move down annually to centres such as Mansehra for the winter. "The only business here is based on tourism in the summer. In winter, living conditions become almost impossible and virtually everyone in Naran moves out. Only some villagers remain in the area," the tour guide noted. The quake came before the movement south had begun, with a few local guides, who make their livelihood from the tourist trade, showing visitors around the area, guiding them to prime trout fishing areas in the Kaghan river or arranging horse rides for them. Now, with all exit routes blocked off, they can only hope that they will not be completely forgotten. "Soon more snows will fall. We also hear there is already a forecast for rain and storms, and then it will become impossible to open the roads or to rescue us from here," Imran Ziauddin, another tour guide, feared.