UN suspends Pak quake aid flights

Pakistani survivors of last year's huge earthquake hold a placard during a walk in Islamabad yesterday. Pakistani NGOs and survivors of the October 8, 2005 earthquake held a walk encouraging donors to keep up relief efforts. PHOTO: AFP

The people had been demanding evacuation to nearby cities.

Deputy humanitarian coordinator Larry Hollingworth told the BBC that flights into the Lipa Valley area would be suspended to ensure the crews' safety.

He said it was unfortunate that the actions of a minority would deprive the majority of food.

The UN said the survivors had been stranded in mountains and called the incidents extremely disturbing.

There were two incidents, involving more than 50 people. The survivors fled on arriving at Muzaffarabad and Abbottabad. No-one was arrested.

The 8 October quake killed more than 73,000 people and displaced millions.

Since then the UN and dozens of other organisations have remained involved in the emergency relief work.

However, heavy rain and snowfall early this week created new landslides, leaving thousands of people stranded in mountainous regions.

The UN refugee agency says winter has come late to Pakistan but with a vengeance, with temperatures falling to -13 Celsius in the highest villages.

Hollingworth said the two helicopter incidents were regrettable, adding that in both cases the people were transported to safer places and no-one was detained.

The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says these are thought to be the first such incidents since the earthquake.

A senior UN official told the BBC that in one case about 20 people forced their way onto a UN helicopter as it was about to leave the town of Banamula, after dropping food supplies.