Nightmare in the Mountains

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KASHMIR IN RUINS The deadly earthquake struck the heart of the rugged, war-torn area hotly contested by India and Pakistan. Now both countries are scrambling to get aid to remote villages

EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER Around 6.2 miles (10 km) below the surface

Locations of aftershocks

Balakot Hundreds of children die when their school collapses

Islamabad 40 residents die when a luxury building collapses

Muzaffarabad Around 12,000 people die in the regional capital, a city of 150,000 near the epicenter

THE GROWING CRISIS • Officials expect the final death toll to top 50,000 as rescuers reach more remote mountain villages • With winter only a few weeks away, relief workers are scrambling to find shelter for the estimated 2 million people made homeless • Pakistan's healthcare facilities are strained to the limit. Thousands of injured people are without shelter or treatment, and officials fear large outbreaks of disease, particularly measles • Many roads into the high mountains are wiped out, and heavy rain grounds some relief flights, further slowing efforts to reach survivors

WHAT LIES BENEATH The 7.6-magnitude earthquake was triggered by the same forces that created the Himalayas. The Indian plate of the Earth's crust is moving north at around 2 in. (5 cm) per year, driving against the Eurasian plate. Because of those movements, southern Asia is prone to devastating earthquakes. A list of the deadliest over the past decade:

[This article contains a table -- Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Date Location Magnitude Death toll Dec. 26, 2004 Indonesia 9 283, 106 The undersea earthquake triggered a massive tsunami that ravaged coastlines from Indonesia to Somalia Oct. 8, 2005 Pakistan/India 7.6 50, 000 (proj.) Dec. 26, 2003 Iran 6.6 26, 200 Jan. 26, 2001 India 7.7 20, 023 Aug. 17, 1999 Turkey 7.6 17, 118 Jan. 16, 1995 Japan 6.9 5, 502

DISPUTED REGION Kashmir is the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute, with India, Pakistan and China all staking claims to parts of the territory. The rugged region is bisected by the Line of Control that separates Indian and Pakistani forces. The two countries have fought two wars over the area, but a cease-fire has been in place since 2003.

Rupture zone When plates moving past each other get stuck, pressure builds until it's eventually released in an earthquake. The greater the pressure, the bigger the quake