India ready to open Kashmir camps

NEWDELHI, Monday, (BBC,AFP) India says it is prepared to open relief camps for earthquake survivors from the Pakistani side of Kashmir as early as Tuesday, Indian officials say.

Both countries are examining proposals which would allow survivors to cross the Line of Control which divides the fiercely disputed mountain region.

On Saturday India said it had offered to open relief centres at three points along the Line of Control. An Indian defence ministry spokesman told the BBC News website that Delhi can operate the relief camps despite damage to roads and bridges in the area.

We can airlift supplies, and the mule routes are also open," Colonel VK Batra said from Srinagar. Repairs to bridges along rivers dividing Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir are also being carried out, he said.

On Saturday, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman announced a plan to open three points along the LoC where survivors from both sides of the border could meet relatives and receive medical assistance.