(Updated Monday 10th Oct, 8pm)
With over 20,000 now declared dead in the Kashmir region due to yesterday’s earthquake, international relief efforts have sprung into action and there have been appeals for voluntary donations. This post has information for British residents and will be updated regularly.

We would also appeal that people donate to well known international charities who have experience in such relief efforts rather than Kashmir based organisations. Some have been known in the past to divert money to buying arms for their activities.

Charities
• British Red Cross
• Doctors Without Borders
• International Rescue Corps
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies
• Islamic Aid
• Islamic Relief
• Muslim Aid
• Oxfam; 0870 333 2500
• Rapid UK
• Unicef UK; 0800 037 9797 or 08457 312 312

My advice is not to go with charities like KIRF because they have suspect links with terrorist groups.

Information
• Pakistani embassy in London
• Pakistan government website
• DFID on the UK response.
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office on travel advice to Pakistan
• Government helpline: 020 7008 1500

More news
• BBC in-depth coverage
• Dawn newspaper
• The Jang

Earthquake specific blogs
• South Asia quake help
• Lahore Metblogs
• Pak Quake

International aid (updated)
UK: Two flights carrying aid and workers left the UK on Saturday. The government has so far committed £500,000 and 60 medics, Foreign Office staff and aid workers. There has been some criticism that this is a low amount, but no one knows the full extent of the damage yet. The govt has said its contribution will rise in the coming days.

Kuwait has pledged $100m in aid to Pakistan. Half will be in the form of emergency supplies while the other $50m will cover reconstruction work.

The USA has now increased its pledge to $50m and a plane bearing supplies has already landed there. “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this horrible tragedy,” Bush told reporters in Washington.

South Korea said it would provide $3 million in aid and send the first four people of a 24-member rescue.
Malaysia has also pledged $1 million in aid and a 46-member search and rescue team including 18 medical officers is leaving for Pakistan.
Australia has lifted its aid contribution to $4.2 million, with the possibility of more if needed.

EU: £2 million
China: 49 rescuers, dogs, 17 tons of equipment
Japan: 50 rescue workers
Russia: 30 rescuers, sniffer dogs, special equipment
Germany: $60,000

The World Bank has earmarked $20m, and the Asian Development Bank $10m.

Supplies, help teams, food and medical equipment also dispatched from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malayasia, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece. More on international aid efforts here.

Pakistan president Musharraf said he also personally thanked India’s PM Manmohan Singh for their offer of help.