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Earthquake toll expected to rise

The death toll in Pakistani-administered areas of Kashmir and other areas hit hard by the recent earthquake there was expected to skyrocket past 50,000 deaths as relief work began again. More than 70% of the regional capital of Muzzafarabad was demolished by the earthquake.

Not so focused on, but still an important aspect of the quake is that the epicenter happened to be focused on a region home to many of the terrorist training camps that Pakistan hosts in part because of past efforts to drive India from the portion of Kashmir it occupies. Though there was no known number of guerilla fighters or their casualties, it can be expected that there were many.

Many observers say that the opportunity is ripe for a breakthrough to be made over Kashmir between India and Pakistan, seeing as how the status quo pre-earthquake can never be returned to, especially as foreign donors will not be quick to rebuild an area that may be destroyed again due to a war of national pride and may have a say in future negotiations.