Quake aid flows in but Pakistan wants more

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, Thursday (Reuters) - Pakistani towns worst hit by the earthquake five days ago received a steady flow of relief supplies by air and road on Thursday, as President Pervez Musharraf asked the world and his people to send more money and aid quickly.

Unable to do anything for the thousands of dead still buried under the rubble except spray their decomposing bodies to stop disease spreading, the government is focused on getting food and shelter for an estimated 2.5 million people made homeless.

The official death toll stood at 23,000, but is expected to rise. Some lower ranking officials and politicians say it could go as high as 40,000.

In the early hours of Thursday a tremor measured at 5.6 jolted Islamabad, and with aftershocks still reverberating the only comfort for people sleeping in the open could be the impossibility of a roof caving in on them.

People in the devastated towns and villages of Pakistani Kashmir and North West Frontier Province have complained bitterly that they felt abandoned to their fate due to the slow response of the government in Islamabad.

Musharraf, in an address to the nation late Wednesday, appealed for their fortitude and forbearance, as his army and non-government organisations delivered food, blankets and tents.

"Those who died cannot come back, but it is in our hands to work for a better future of the affected areas and their people. And Inshallah (God willing), we will succeed," Musharraf said.

Mobilising a relief effort within 72 hours was fast going considering the difficulties faced, clearing roads of landslides to reach the main population centres in the Himalayan foothills along the border with India, he told the people.

Pakistan still needs more helicopters to reach the inaccessible areas quickly, but there are some valleys in the region too narrow for helicopters to fly and aid will have to be sent on pack animals.

Coping with a disaster of this scale was beyond the government's means, Musharraf said, asking for more financial aid and relief supplies from overseas and from within Pakistan.

"I appeal to the nation to generously contribute to this fund. I would specially appeal to the business community, traders and industrialists," he said, dressed in a dark suit in contrast to the army fatigues he has been seen in for the past few days.

"I appeal to the international community to donate funds, give financial assistance ... to the president's relief fund."

Musharraf thanked all the countries that had come to Pakistan's aid so far, but singled out Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a gesture of significance given the peace process the two leaders are pursuing to end decades of enmity between their nuclear armed countries.

Northern areas have received their first snowfall and there is a race on to get people under shelter before winter bites, with night-time temperatures are already falling to as low as 6-7 degrees Celsius (43-46 degrees Fahrenheit).

The main roads into Muzaffarabad, the shattered capital of Pakistani Kashmir, have been cleared and work is now on to reach the communities dotting the Neelam and Jhelum valleys.

The city stinks from rotting corpses and ruptured sewage pipes, but at least some telecommunications and electricity have been restored.