India gives aid groups access to Kashmir

Overnight, rain prevented troops from delivering relief supplies to three villages in the area that remained inaccessible a week after the magnitude-7.6 quake struck, officials said.

The decision to allow foreign groups into India's part of Kashmir contrasted with the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami. After that tragedy, India drew criticism for barring aid workers from hard-hit islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, where India's air force has a base.

"So far, we have been able to access all the areas that we have sought access to," said Brian Heidel, the India head of the British group Save the Children, which is helping with relief work in Kashmir.

"I think there's an understanding with the administration and the military that the situation requires an openness," Heidel said.