Shaken from sleep, residents faced quake horror

"We all rushed out of our houses. People were in their pyjamas and many women there were without slippers and without their dopatta (scarf)," said Sajida Burki, who lives in a nearby tower that was untouched.

"We saw people rushing to a balcony on the other building but while it was still rocking, it crashed down and the occupants came down with the mass of the concrete."

At 8:50am (0350 GMT) on Saturday, many people living in the upscale Margalla Towers apartment block in Islamabad were enjoying the chance to sleep in after a hectic working week.

Minutes later, a monster earthquake had transformed the plush building to a heap of rubble and twisted metal.

Afterwards, dust-covered survivors could be seen pinned under huge concrete slabs. Cries for help floated from the wreckage, as people used their bare hands to claw through the debris.

"There were screams of women and children, many are still trapped inside and we can hear cries. It's a tragic scene," Burki said.

"I have just seen another body being pulled out. The place is devastated," said an AFP photographer at the scene.

Many foreigners including Japanese, Italians and Arabs rented apartments there because they were considered relatively safe and secure.