A 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred on October 29 in Pakistan saw terrible losses, both in human and material measures. According to local authorities, 321 people have killed and 603 seriously injured (with as many as 311 and 350 in the Ziarat area alone). In total, more than 130,000 people have been affected. Earthquake victims search their belongings after an earthquake hit Ziarat in Balochistan province on 29 October 2008. A powerful earthquake rattled Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province on October 29, most of the victims were from Ziarat, located around 50 kilometres from Quetta the provincial capital. EPA/WAHEED KHAN

Télécoms Sans Frontières started running humanitarian calling operations on Sunday after arriving in Ziarat the region most affected by the earthquake. Landlines are cut off and only the cities of Ziarat and Quetta are covered by mobile networks leaving dozens of villages located in the valleys without any communications.

TSF’s team travels from village to village with satellite phones so that survivors can give news to their family and request personalized assistance. Survivors are in desperate need of blankets and shelter to protect from the freezing cold at 2,500 meters altitude right at the heart of one of the poorest regions of the country. TSF may be installing a satellite-based Emergency Communications Centre in the coming hours to facilitate Internet communication for aid organizations in Ziarat. A needs assessment is currently in progress and more crews could be deployed to strengthen TSF's operations.