Race against time to reach survivors

The United Nations' top emergency aid official Jan Egeland said after touring the disaster zone that the devastation wrought by Saturday's monster quake was "beyond belief".

Egeland said authorities faced a nightmare scenario in one of the world's most rugged areas, with many of the roads destroyed and not enough helicopters to reach the millions left hungry and without shelter.

"We're still racing against the clock and we need to get more helicopters, more water, more tents and more money," he said.

"This is a desperate situation. As you can see we are making progress in the more populated areas but it is so hard to reach the others."

Pakistan's disaster response chief also issued a grim warning that many desperate survivors would not receive any help before bitter weather closes in on the Himalayas and snow and ice forces deliveries to a halt.

"It is not possible to provide shelter to all the affected people before the winter approaches," said Major General Farooq Javed, adding that despite the outpouring of aid from some 30 countries there was still a dire need for more blankets and tents.

Javed said it would take "many years to say the least" to rebuild northeast Pakistan where entire towns and villages were obliterated by the quake which killed at least 25,000 in Pakistan and over 1,300 in India.

As donated helicopters begin operating in the quake zone and troops clear landslides blocking the mountain passes, aid is beginning to arrive in wrecked cities like Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir.