Quake-Hit Balakot Too Unstable to Rebuild
The government decided to relocate a quake-devastated city after experts declared that any new construction would be dangerous, a Cabinet minister said.
Balakot, about 120 miles north of the capital, Islamabad, was destroyed when a 7.6-magnitude quake hit the country Oct. 8, killing 80,000 people.
Thousands among Balakot’s population of 300,000 died. Many were left homeless and are still living in tents. The new location for the city was not specified.
Information Minister Sheik Rashid Ahmed said the gigantic task of rebuilding would begin throughout the region Friday.
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