A massive earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck South Asia early on the morning of Saturday October 8, 2005 causing at least 23,000 deaths, injuring more than 40,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands more without shelter.

While the quake was felt across the region from Bangladesh to Afghanistan, Pakistan was the worst hit with reports of whole villages being wiped out in Pakistan-held Kashmir and the North-West Frontier province.

Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, described the earthquake as the "biggest tragedy" in the country's history and called for international help in the rescue and recovery effort.

Two days after the quake, Pakistani authorities said over 19,100 people had been confirmed dead and over 42,000 more were injured. But military spokesman, Major General Shaukat Sultan, said the death toll would continue to soar as many areas have not yet been accessed.

More than 11,000 people have already been confirmed dead in the town of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, and it's feared thousands more may be trapped.

"Muzaffarabad is devastated," said the local minister for works and communication, Tariq Farooq.

The earthquake also hit the Indian-held zone of Kashmir hard with officials there saying over 1,300 people are confirmed dead. They also warned many remote villages are yet to be reached and the death toll is likely rise.

The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million people have been left homeless.