www.bbc.co.ukThe 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck close to Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on October 8^th (Saturday morning) has caused widespread devastation.

Although the tremor was felt as far afield as Kabul and Delhi, the main areas affected have been Kashmir and Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province.

When disasters strike considerations about tourism are furthest from the minds of those affected. But it is essential that as the dust settles and rescue operations are completed visitors return to the affected regions and aid the reconstruction efforts through their solidarity and support for local facilities.

The BBC presented this report about the country by country impact of the earthquake.

PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR

Impact: This was the hardest hit region, with entire villages wiped out and much of the province's capital Muzaffarabad destroyed. The towns of Bagh and Rawalakot have also been badly affected.

Landslides have blocked roads leading into the area, power and water supplies are cut off, telephone connections down and hospitals and schools destroyed. The "Peace Bridge", which is the only road link from Pakistan-administered Kashmir to the Indian side of the Line of Control, was damaged.

Toll: More than 20,000 people have been confirmed dead in Pakistan, the information minister says. Some 17,000 are in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. But the top elected official there says more than 25,000 have died in the area, with "countless" injured.

Aid: Trucks carrying food and medical supplies have begun arriving in Muzaffarabad. A sports stadium there is being used to house the homeless and tend to survivors. Food supplies have been running short and there are reports of looting in the city.

NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE

Impact: The once-thriving town of Balakot has suffered extensive damage, with two schools and an Islamic seminary collapsing.

Toll: The province's chief minister says more than 1,800 bodies have been counted so far, but that the toll is expected to rise to about 8,000. A BBC correspondent in Balakot reports that up to 130 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of collapsed schools, but as many as 650 children may have been buried in the rubble. About 200 soldiers are also thought to have been killed by landslides and falling debris.

Aid: With no rescue teams in the area, frantic parents searched for their children beneath mounds of debris with their hands, picks and shovels. By Monday heavy lifting equipment started to arrive in the town. Locals have set up makeshift camps. Oxfam says one of its aid teams is on its way to the province.

ISLAMABAD AND ELSEWHERE

Impact: Two blocks of the Margalla Towers complex, containing about 75 flats, collapsed.

Toll: Twenty-seven are confirmed dead from the Margalla Towers, and 45 remain unaccounted for. In Punjab province, police reported 11 people dead and 83 injured. In the Northern Areas, two people were killed and two others hurt, officials said.

Aid: Foreign rescue teams are helping pull out survivors, although by Monday morning hopes of finding more were fading.

INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR

Impact: The town of Kupwara close to the Line of Control was worst-hit, with nearby Uri also badly affected.

Landslides have blocked the key highway that connects Srinagar to the rest of India. The 200-year-old Moti Mahal fort in Poonch district collapsed when the quake hit. About 4,000 houses were damaged.

Toll: Officials say 950 died in the earthquake and 2,300 were injured, although with some villages not yet accounted for, the figure may rise further.

The town of Kupwara lost 250 people, while 300 perished in Uri. The Indian army said 54 of its soldiers also died.

Aid: Soldiers are searching for isolated villages thought to be buried under landslides. Rescue efforts and aid deliveries have been hindered by bad weather, logistical problems and sporadic militant attacks, officials say.

Food aid and tents have been delivered to the area, including via air drops to remote villages, but some residents say they have not received anything yet. The most badly injured are being taken to Srinagar by helicopter.

INDIA

Impact: In Punjab state, shops and houses collapsed and rescuers cut through rubble to find survivors. Buildings in Delhi and Amritsar were damaged. Tremors caused panic in Gujarat and were also felt in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Toll: Two people were killed, including a five-year-old boy, in the border district of Gurdaspur.

AFGHANISTAN

Impact: The quake was felt across much of eastern and central Afghanistan, although damage to property was minimal.