Afghanistan quake death toll creeps toward 300

kabul - The death toll from the massive earthquake Monday in northeastern Afghanistan creeping towards 300. Most people were killed in Pakistan so far : 228. In Afghanistan already killed more than fifty people.

According to CNN are among the dead twelve schoolgirls. They perished in the panic that arose when they tried to evacuate their school in the Afghan Taluqan.

Rescue workers in the inaccessible mountainous area still looking for more victims. Pakistan 's army has deployed include more helicopters to assess the damage and conduct rescue operations. Presumably, the death toll is still rising, since communication is flat in a large part of the affected area.

Aid workers provide further relief to the victims. Fearing aftershocks and also because many houses have been destroyed, thousands of people spent the night outdoors, with temperatures just above freezing. They are features include tents and blankets.

The United States and Iran have offered humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon has on the people affected its condolences. He wished the injured to a quick recovery and said the UN stands ready to assist in the rescue work, should the need arise.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5 and was followed by seven aftershocks, the heaviest of which had a magnitude of 4.8.