Helicopters flew again in Pakistan's earthquake zone on Wednesday, allowing aid agencies to reach survivors for the first time since snow blanketed highland villages and rain set off fresh landslides at the weekend, according to Reuters. More than 2 million people have been living in tents or crude shelters patched together from ruined homes since the Oct. 8 quake killed more than 73,000 people in northern Pakistan. A long-anticipated cold spell struck on Saturday, blanketing highland areas with snow and grounding relief flights, while drenching, icy rain flooded makeshift lowland tent camps. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the World Health Organisation say they have not seen a surge in numbers of sick or deaths since the freezing weather set in. But there are fears that with countless people still in inadequate shelter, things could get a lot worse, including a possible surge in killer diseases and an exodus of desperate people from the mountains into crowded tent lowland camps. --More 18 34 Local Time 15 34 GMT
