Birmingham's civic leaders will launch a city-wide appeal today to assist the relief effort as the death toll from Pakistan's devastating earthquake last night reached 30,000.

People are being urged to donate to a raft of charities and aid agencies to allow money to go directly where it is needed most.

More than 90,000 of the city's population originate from the Azad Kashmir region, which was the epicentre of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake.

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Councillors were summoned yesterday to an emergency meeting at the Council House to discuss how the city should respond to the tragedy.

A British rescue team, including five firefighters from West Midlands Fire Service, has already been despatched to help with the search for survivors.

Council leader Mike Whitby (Con Harborne) last night suggested a delegation of the city's structural engineers may be sent out to help with the relief effort.

He said: "Birmingham is an international city with many citizens of Pakistani origin, therefore the people of Birmingham number friends and family among their associations with the people of Kashmir.

"We are deeply affected by the tragic loss of life and by those who have suffered injury and lost their homes.

"The city council is organising a community-wide response to the incident so that we may offer support to our friends in this, their time of need.

"I would urge everyone in Birmingham to support the fundraising efforts of the charity Islamic Relief."

Birmingham has a "treaty of friendship" with Mirpur, in Azad Kashmir, which Coun Paul Tilsley (Lib Dem, Sheldon) signed during his time as Lord Mayor in 1993.

Coun Tilsley, now deputy leader of the council, said: "There will be announcement at every school across Birmingham tomorrow to launch this appeal.

"We need people to give money directly to the charities who are already involved with the relief effort in Kashmir and Pakistan.

"We don't want to waste time setting up a separate relief fund, which could take a few days, which is why people should give directly to organisations like the British Red Cross, Pakistan Red Crescent and Islamic Relief."

Former Lord Mayor Coun Mahmood Hussain (Lab, Lozells & East Handsworth), feared for his relatives when he heard about the earthquake on Saturday.

He said: "I was very worried when we heard about it because my brother-in-law's family still lives in Mirpur, in Azad Kashmir, but eventually we heard they were safe.

"Whatever we do next has to be of long term benefit because it will take a lot of time, effort and money to help these people rebuild their lives.

"Most of the television reports are focusing on Islamabad, but what they're not showing is how villages across the region have been wiped out by this disaster."

More than 17,000 of those reported dead were from Azad Kashmir.

Islamic Relief, which has its headquarters in Birmingham, has already allocated #2 million to relief work in the region.

Aziz Rajab-Ali, deputy manager for the UK, said the charity was well placed to help those affected by the natural disaster as it has a major office in Pakistan.

He said: "We are already looking after 10,000 people, providing basic emergency medical kits."

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