MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 16: The death toll from the Oct 8 earthquake soared past 53,000 in Pakistan on Sunday and could rise still far higher as relief workers struggle to reach survivors, Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sikandar Hayat Khan said.

“With all responsibility, I can say that not less than 40,000 are killed,” the AJK prime minister told AFP.

“There are still cities which are not cleared of debris and the death toll could go to 70,000 or 80,000. It is the worst tragedy in our history,” he said.

It was a drastic jump from the last government figures that said more than 25,000 people died in Azad Kashmir from the devastating Oct 8 earthquake.

The federal government had earlier said that more than 13,000 people had been killed in the NWFP.—AFP