Chapursan Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan has been left reeling after a recent earthquake that destroyed thousands of homes and thrust local communities into a severe cold emergency. Danish photojournalist Laura told reporters at the National Press Club in Islamabad that temperatures in Chapursan have fallen to around minus 20°C, leaving survivors exposed and in urgent need of warm blankets, thick quilts, tents and medicines.
Speaking alongside Mubarak Hussain, president of Hunza Small Traders and Small Industry, Ms Laura said she was on holiday in Pakistan with her family when she learned of the devastation and immediately redirected her plans and personal savings to help the affected families. The Danish embassy in Pakistan has commended her rapid response and commitment to Chapursan earthquake relief.
Mubarak Hussain highlighted a separate problem hampering relief operations: aid consignments that arrived from China last year remain held at the Sost border and have not been delivered to the valley. He said meetings with Federal Minister Jam Kamal produced assurances, yet the stalled supplies have still not reached survivors, forcing many to endure harsh conditions without adequate shelter or heating.
Both Laura and local traders urged federal and provincial authorities to announce an immediate relief package for the Chapursan earthquake survivors and to ensure prompt distribution of available aid. They stressed that elderly people, children and livestock are already falling ill in the extreme cold and require rapid provision of blankets, tents, food and essential medicines to prevent further loss and suffering.
