Auckland father loses children in quake

An Auckland man has lost four children in the catastrophic earthquake which levelled parts of northeast Pakistan.

Pakistan Association of New Zealand president Naveed Hamid said the children had been buried under the rubble of their family home in Kashmir province, epicentre of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake.

The father had requested privacy, said Mr Hamid.

He said most of the Auckland Pakistan community had heard from their relatives, although some were still anxiously awaiting word.

University of Waikato senior lecturer Asad Mohsin had an agonising 24-hour wait to hear from his extended family in northern Pakistan. His calls went unanswered, leading him to fear the worst.

"We could hear the ring but no one was picking up. It was terrible, because you just don't know what has happened."

Dr Mohsin managed to speak to an aunt on Sunday, and she had described the scene as "hell on Earth".

"They say whole villages have sunk into the ground. What you see on top of the villages is just rubble and dust."

The New Zealand Government yesterday pledged an initial contribution of $750,000 to the international relief effort.