At 8.50 a.m. (0920 IST) on Saturday many residents 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 ten-storey building to a heap of rubble and twisted metal—while two other towers on either side stood untouched. ‘‘We saw people rushing to a balcony on the building,” said Sajida Burki, who lives in one of the towers still standing. “But while it was still rocking it crashed down and the occupants came down with the mass of the concrete.’’ The complex had some 250 apartments, residents said, and is in the fashionable F-10 sector of Islamabad. Many foreigners rent apartments there because they were considered relatively safe and secure. 82 people rescued ISLAMABAD: Rescue workers extracted 82 people alive and 10 dead from beneath the rubble of two apartment blocks in Islamabad. Working under searchlights in driving rain, the rescuers planned to work through the night as it was uncertain how many people were still trapped. REUTERS
