The mesmerising beauty of the Himalayan mountain range was put to question on 8th of October 2005, when a massive earthquake rocked some parts of the Himalayan region. The earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, was devastating. According to the seismologists, the epicentre of the earthquake was in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. The worst-hit areas were Pakistan- administered Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and western parts of the Kashmir valley in the Indian- administered Kashmir. A fairly large number of people died in the quake. Many of them were school children who got buried under the rubble of their school buildings.
There was a huge national and international humanitarian response to the crisis. The UN and the US were criticised for not taking practical steps and focussing on training and seminar costing millions.
To conclude, the 2005 Himalayan quake will never be erased from our memories. Though it has taught many lessons to the planners, architects, disaster managers and the policymakers, the suffering of the victims will always invite sympathy of the mankind worldwide.