PESHAWAR, Oct 12: The death toll in the devastating earthquake in the NWFP came close to 10,000 amid warning from officials that the figure may rise as roads are being re-opened and more bodies are retrieved from rubbles of buildings.

An official of the crisis management centre at the Home Department in Peshawar said the total number of confirmed deaths on Wednesday was 9,840 while the number of injured people was 15,321.

Mansehra tops the list with 4,957 deaths followed by Battagram where 3,850 people have died. “This is because troops have been able to reach the inaccessible areas in Kaghan and Allai. Most of the death reports have come from Allai,” NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir told Dawn.

He said that roads leading to Kaghan, Allai and Kohistan remained blocked at several places and that the casualty figure was set to rise further when volunteers and troops make their way to the area.

“We have so many places that we have not been able to reach so far. There are villages and small hamlets. Naturally, the casualty figure will go up once we get there and start removing rubble,” Mr Wazir said.

“In my own estimation, the death toll in the NWFP would come to somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000,” the secretary said.

The Karakoram Highway remained closed at several places although the government has been able to open parts of it.

The government had also re-established communication links with the devastated area through radio wireless.

The federal government has offered satellite phones to the NWFP for use in the quake-affected areas.

Hundreds of trucks and vans loaded with relief goods were lined up to reach the affected areas, he said, adding that the federal government had also geared up its efforts to supply tents, blankets and edibles to the people.

Officials said that the overwhelming public response to help people in distress had also created a sort of a problem.

They said that all relief goods were being driven towards Balakot, one of the most devastated areas, while there were other places which needed equal and urgent attention.

These officials said that they had been urging public to divert some of the relief goods to other areas, which had so far received nothing including Battagram, Battal, Shinkiari and Besham.

Meanwhile, an ISPR statement said that Lt-Gen Mohammad Hamid Khan, after assuming the charge of the Peshawar Corps Commander, visited the affected areas of the NWFP and reviewed the pace of relief and rescue work.

It said that the Pakistan Army has established a divisional headquarters hospital at Mansehra and sent more troops to the far flung areas.

The United Arab Emirates has also established a 100-bed Sheikh Zayed field hospital at Mansehra.