VZCZCXRO0119
PP RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #0004/01 0041204
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041204Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1100
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0225
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0131
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0367
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2372

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000004 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM CACS TI
SUBJECT: TAJIK EARTHQUAKE IMPACT LESS SEVERE THAN REPORTED 
 
DUSHANBE 00000004  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck eastern 
Tajikistan on the morning of January 2.  Embassy contacts and 
others with direct knowledge of the area said a few hundred 
households have been affected by the earthquake, far short of 
the 20,000 figure widely reported in the international media. 
An American working for an NGO in the region said there have 
been no injuries or deaths.  The government is not asking for 
assistance at this time.  The earthquake was not widely reported 
in local media.  Post will continue to provide information as 
warranted.  End summary. 
 
¶2. A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck eastern Tajikistan at 
7:15am local time on Saturday, January 2.  The epicenter was 
near the town of Vanj, in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region 
(GBAO), 80 km north of the regional capital Khorog and 235 km 
east of Dushanbe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 
 
Reports of Damage Exaggerated 
 
¶3. Many initial reports in the international media, including 
the Associated Press, cited estimates that 20,000 people were 
"affected" by the earthquake.  Preliminary information from 
government and NGO sources indicates this figure is greatly 
exaggerated.  While precise details are still lacking, due to 
the inaccessibility of the affected area (in part a normal 
winter phenomenon), initial reports put numbers of persons 
affected by the damage in the hundreds to low thousands.  There 
are no reports of human casualties, although some media have 
reported several hundred livestock deaths. 
 
¶4. The Tajik Committee for Emergency Situations has reported 
that 66 houses have been "partly affected," and 12 have been 
severely damaged.  Affected residents have been moved to safe 
locations.  In addition, a number of administrative buildings, 
including a hospital, music school, telecommunications office, 
tax office, bank, and court, among others, have been damaged. 
The Dushanbe-Khorog road has been blocked by landslides at two 
locations, both in Vanj District:  at the 439th kilometer (at 
Tughak) and the 449th kilometer (at Khehak).  Two kilometers of 
telephone lines are also down.  The government is reportedly 
deploying an assessment team today consisting of specialists 
from the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology and 
the Committee for Emergency Situations, along with a 
representative from UNDP. 
 
¶5. Other reports put the damage slightly higher, but still far 
below international media reports.  The International Federation 
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports that 98 
homes have been fully damaged, leaving 622 people without 
shelter.  Of these, 583 have found temporary accommodation with 
relatives, friends, and neighbors, while the remaining 39 are 
currently sheltering in government buildings.  An additional 921 
homes, housing 6,215 people, have been partially damaged.  The 
affected households are in the district center (Rokharv) and 
seven villages:  Rog, Vskrog, Gushkhun, Panjshanbeobod, Bovud, 
Argabad, and Chikok.  FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance echoed the 
government report of 66 affected households, distributed in five 
of the seven villages noted above. 
 
No Reported Injuries 
 
¶6. No deaths or injuries have been reported from the earthquake. 
 Glen Hofecker, an American working in Khorog for the NGO Global 
Partners, which has assisted victims of previous earthquakes in 
GBAO, said residents in Khorog felt the earthquake strongly, but 
there was no damage there.  Hofecker, who is the spouse of one 
of the Embassy's wardens in GBAO, said to the best of his 
knowledge there were no Americans working in the region affected 
by the earthquake.  He said reports that there were no injuries 
are credible.  He was leaving for Vanj today for a two day 
damage inspection trip.  Little work can be done now in winter, 
but Global Partners can help rebuild as necessary once the 
weather improves.  Hofecker and Global Partners helped Vanj 
residents inspect their houses for damage as a result of an 
earthquake last spring. 
 
The Response 
 
¶7. The Tajik Red Crescent Society has a stock of prepositioned 
non-food items in Vanj district capable of providing for 25 
families.  Supplemental items will be transported from Khorog 
and Dushanbe within the next few weeks.  Government authorities 
and NGOs are conducting additional assessments.  For the moment 
there is no request and no immediate need for USG assistance. 
We will continue to monitor the situation, reporting if 
circumstances change. 
 
Press Guidance 
 
DUSHANBE 00000004  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶8. Embassy has prepared the following press guidance pertaining 
to the earthquake: 
 
-- On Saturday, January 2 at 7:15 a.m. local time an earthquake 
of magnitude 5.3 struck Tajikistan near the town of Vanj in the 
Pamir mountains. 
 
-- According to the Tajik Government's Committee on Emergency 
Services (CoES), 66 houses were damaged, 12 severely damaged. 
They are also reporting that several administrative buildings 
and the roads heading to Dushanbe and Khorog have been affected. 
 
 
-- The Tajik Government is mobilizing an assessment team 
consisting of specialists from the Institute of Earthquake 
Engineering and Seismology, GlavGeology and CoES from Dushanbe. 
 
-- The government has not requested assistance.  No fatalities 
or injuries have been reported. 
 
-- So far it is estimated that between 400 and 2300 people have 
been displaced but have been housed in alternate accommodations. 
 
GROSS