U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has appealed for increased international assistance for Pakistan's earthquake survivors to avoid what he called "a second, massive wave of death."
Mr. Annan said Wednesday that the world's pledges for relief assistance have fallen far short of the U.N. appeal for 312-million dollars. He warned that more people will die if the world's response is not adequate. Earlier in the day, Pakistan raised the death toll to nearly 48-thousand and said another 67-thousand people have been injured in the October 8th earthquake.
The massive quake ravaged parts of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and Kashmir -- the region divided between Pakistan and India. Indian officials opened direct telephone lines with Pakistani Kashmir, allowing residents to call separated relatives for the first time in 15 years. The two countries have also agreed to open the military Line of Control in Kashmir, but are yet to work out the details.