Pakistanis seek govt help to rebuild homes

Residents in a northwestern Pakistani town that was among the worst-affected by this week's massive earthquake were seeking government help on Wednesday to rebuild their damaged homes, after spending the second straight night with relatives.

Authorities said Monday's quake damaged 8,453 homes and 113 schools in Pakistan's impoverished northwest.

Rescuers in Afghanistan and Pakistan are struggling to reach regions stricken by the magnitude-7.5 quake, which was centered in Afghanistan's sparsely populated Badakhshan province that borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. The quake left at least 258 people dead in Pakistan, 115 in Afghanistan and three on the Indian side of the disputed region of Kashmir.