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CNN Live Saturday

Earthquake Hits South Asia; Off Track?; Katrina's Strength

Aired October 08, 2005 - 10:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Officials in South Central Asia fear the death toll could run into the thousands following a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake today. The quake was centered in Pakistan, but also felt in India and Afghanistan. So far, the death toll stands at 746. A Pakistani meteorologist says it was the strongest tremor to hit the area in the last 100 years.
In Iraq, the U.S. offensive, Operation Iron Fist, is over. The military says the six-day offensive in western Iraq has left more than 50 insurgents dead. Six U.S. Marines were killed in the operation in two roadside bombings.

Police in Bali are going airborne as they search for a breakthrough in last week's suicide bombings. Airplanes have been used to drop leaflets on the city with pictures of the two men believed to have masterminded the bombings. Twenty-three people were killed in those attacks.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Unfolding this hour, a massive earthquake in South Asia. Hundreds are confirmed dead.

Hello, everybody, and welcome to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We've got a lot to tell you about today. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning, everyone.

NGUYEN: The death toll is rising from this morning's earthquake that struck South Asia. More than 700 people are confirmed dead in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. And with aftershocks still jolting the region, officials say that death toll could surge into the thousands. The quake measured a magnitude of 7.6 and is the strongest to strike the region in a century. Its epicenter was about 60 miles north-northeast of Islamabad, near Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

Joining us on the phone from Islamabad is Ayaz Gul, a reporter with the Voice of America. He joins us from the Pakistani capital to talk about what he's seeing there.

First off, we mentioned that the quake was very powerful, a 7.6. And then you have multitudes of aftershocks. We are hearing upwards of 14 aftershocks. Can you confirm any of that?

AYAZ GUL, VOICE OF AMERICA REPORTER: Yes, you know the evidence of this massive earthquake is that there was a 10-story building in the capital, Islamabad. Obviously, there are several buildings that were, you know, slightly damaged. But this building collapsed, and half of the building almost collapsed and still dozens of people are trapped in the debris. So, and the rescue workers are still trying to save these people. And it has been almost now 10 hours, but they're still working on that place.

And the rest of the country, obviously, northern Pakistan, what we have received reports clearly suggest that dozens of villages have been wiped out because of, you know, this massive earthquake.

NGUYEN: Yes, we're looking at video right now of a lot of the destruction there. There's also video that's come into CNN showing the mudslides. It is nightfall there. You're in the dark. Many rescue operations are still trying to take place, despite the conditions. Tell me about that. What is hampering the efforts at this point?

GUL: Well, this is the mountainous part of Pakistan and underdeveloped areas, really rugged mountains, and going there, and with Pakistani not, especially the government, not prepared for this kind of a situation. Obviously, they're finding it very difficult to assess the damage, damages.

And just recently, like an hour ago, I just spoke to the military spokesperson, Major General Suldan (ph), who confirmed that they still don't know what is the extent of the damage. And they fear, and this guy fears, that it could be -- the death toll could be in thousands, but they're still waiting for some confirmed reports to assess the real damages because of this earthquake.

NGUYEN: Do you know a death toll as of right now, because the latest word that we have received was 746? Actually, I've just been told now that it is 806 people dead. Is that something that you're hearing where you are?

GUL: Yes, that's true. You know, but the problem is that most of the damages, they occurred in the remote areas, and receiving anything confirmed would be difficult. But in the urban centers, obviously, the death toll that they are confirming over 700 is mostly from the areas which are accessible.

And we have been hearing, like, this death toll for the past several hours. But, obviously, the next morning, tomorrow morning, that will be the time when the officials, and if there are witnesses, survivors, will be able to confirm exactly what's the death toll.

NGUYEN: I mentioned the aftershocks at the top of this interview, and I want to talk about them briefly now, because there have been numerous aftershocks that have followed this earthquake, one measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale. That is a very large, really, essentially, an earthquake in itself. Is there a fear, as people try to go into these crevices and pull out people trapped under the rubble, that these aftershocks are going to continue to hamper efforts and even trap rescuers?

GUL: Well, obviously, the evidence of that fear is that throughout the day people in the capital of Islamabad, because the most modern city of this country, were out on the streets. And they are, even now, they're out there. And those who are living in these big buildings, the residential apartment buildings, they're not willing to go back to the -- to their apartments just because people fear that there must have been serious damages done to these buildings.

NGUYEN: Are you still with us?

Obviously we have lost contact, but some very good information coming to us. And of course we're going to update you on all of what is going on in South Asia as people try to recover from a deadly earthquake, a 7.6 magnitude.

You want to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake and its impact all across South Asia. We do have another live update from the region that is coming up shortly.

HARRIS: In New York, security is high and so is the tension as the city remains on guard against a possible terrorist strike on the subway system. And as scares like this prove to be false alarms, new details are emerging on the reported plot.

CNN's Deborah Feyerick has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began during the morning rush, first a suspicious package, then a soda can filled with green liquid at Penn Station. In the afternoon, a major Manhattan subway line was temporarily shut down. And so it went.

The mayor standing by his decision to warn New Yorkers, despite opposition from Washington.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: A lot of our information comes from the FBI. And what you see in Washington is different intelligence agencies looking at either different information or evaluating it differently.

FEYERICK: The timing of the suspected attack is one reason New York City's mayor went public. CNN learning that Friday, October 7, was talked about as a date for a possible attack. Sunday, October 9, was another date mentioned.

BLOOMBERG: The intelligence information you get is never going to be so explicit and so guaranteed to be correct. By the time you get that, the event has already taken place.

FEYERICK: An official close to the investigation tells CNN the information about the suspected attack came from a source who had provided accurate information in the past. The official telling CNN the source was questioned in Iraq and passed a polygraph test concerning the proposed New York City subway attack.

That source trained at a terror camp in Afghanistan. Based on the information, the U.S. launched a joint operation. Three men were taken into custody. An official tells CNN they are different nationalities, some Middle Eastern. The FBI chief in New York says that there is no reason to believe any terror suspects are in the city.

(on camera): As for the New York-Washington split, a high-level city hall source tells CNN Mayor Bloomberg spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff before Thursday's press conference. And that Chertoff did not ask the mayor to withhold the information or stand down. The source also says New York's FBI chief did get permission from the FBI director in Washington to attend the press conference.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Back to the earthquake now. As you know, it rumbled across some 400 miles and caused buildings to sway. In distant New Delhi, India, there is no significant damage in the capital, but the Indian government has activated its National Disaster Plan.

Joining us by telephone from New Delhi is CNN producer John Raedler.

And, John, and what does this exactly mean that the government has activated this National Disaster Plan? What does it call for?

JOHN RAEDLER, CNN PRODUCER: Well, that's basically in response to what has happened in Indian-controlled Kashmir, and that has taken a sizeable hit from this earthquake. And they will need manpower, they will need heavy earthmoving equipment, they will need water, medical supplies, bedding, tents, et cetera. So that's what that's about.

It's interesting, Tony, it was about nine-and-a-half hours ago that we received the first confirmation of deaths in this earthquake, and that was five people confirmed dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The latest count that CNN can accumulate from official sources is at least 806 people dead so far.

And there is the now several times repeated statement by a Major General Suldan, of the Pakistani military, predicting that the ultimate toll will run into the thousands. Thousands, plural, his word. So, in just nine-and-a-half hours, we've seen a dramatic escalation in this death toll. And there's no reason to suspect that that will abate.

HARRIS: Hey, John, you know we've been talking about Kashmir in terms of it being Pakistani-controlled and Indian-controlled, but it's Kashmir. And isn't the fact now that Kashmir is pretty devastated by this earthquake?

RAEDLER: Yes, indeed. And we've been getting information out of the Pakistani side that that seems to be the worst hit area for them. And, also, it's, by far, the worst hit area for India in Indian- controlled Kashmir. So, yes, indeed it looks like that the greatest toll of any particular area, district, province or whatever, the greatest toll is going to come in Kashmir on either side of that line of control that separates the Indian-controlled side from the Pakistani-controlled side.

And already, if you look at the figures, the latest from CNN's stringer in Srinagar, the summer capital in Indian-controlled Kashmir, he's called me just before I talk to you, Tony, and he's saying now officially the toll there 250 people killed.

HARRIS: Oh boy!

RAEDLER: And we have an even greater toll, it seems, from preliminary assessments coming from the Pakistani military in the Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

HARRIS: So, John, we're talking about Kashmir being probably the worst hit by this. It is -- is it fair to say it is also the most vulnerable, given that the kind of structures that we're talking about there, the kinds of homes, the materials those homes are made of?

RAEDLER: Well, it's the most vulnerable in several regards, Tony. One regard is that most of Kashmir has extremely high and steep peaks. It is a mountainous area, hugely mountainous. You've got peaks there commonly 11,000, 12,000, 15,000, 17,000 feet. And so this sort of a shake and shutter from a 7.6 magnitude earthquake has caused mudslides and landslides.

They have cut off roadways in that area. And very often there's just one roadway to get to a particular destination. And so the Pakistani military has already talked about it as saconding (ph) civilian heavy earthmoving equipment from construction sites, from roadway and highway construction sites. And it's trying to move all of that equipment, plus its military equipment, into the most affected areas.

But they will have to wait to do that because it's nightfall now right across this region. We won't have light for another eight hours or nine hours or so. So that's simply going to keep -- string this whole thing out. There'd be very little that people could do, particularly in these villages, there'd be very little they could do at night because they probably had sparse electricity to begin with and they'd have none now.

HARRIS: Oh boy! And who knows what we'll see at first light.

John Raedler, our CNN producer in New Delhi for us, John, thank you.

NGUYEN: And we are continuing to follow this story all morning. As we've been telling you, a 7.6 earthquake strikes South Asia. The death toll could be in the thousands. We're going to update you throughout the morning on this developing story.

HARRIS: Plus, Katrina could have been worse? There is now increasing evidence that it wasn't the big one it was thought to be. That story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here's a look now at our top stories.

A powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake jolted South Central Asia today with deadly consequences all across three countries. At least 806 people have been killed in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The quake was centered 60 miles northeast of the Pakistan capital of Islamabad.

Back here in the U.S., President Bush is praising the House for passing a controversial energy bill that encourages oil companies to open new refineries. The measure was approved by a 212-to-210 vote. Critics say the bill favors rich oil companies and will do nothing to ease energy costs this winter.

Well, President Bush defended his Supreme Court pick, Harriet Miers, during today's weekly radio address. Some leading conservatives are calling the choice a mistake, with former Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork labeling it -- quote -- "a disaster on every level." Mr. Bush has expressed confidence that Miers will be confirmed.

HARRIS: The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still coming more clearly into focus six weeks after the monstrous storm struck. Louisiana health officials now say the confirmed death toll in that state alone stands at 1,003. Across the five states where Katrina- related deaths have been reported, the toll stands at 1,239, making it the deadliest U.S. storm since 1928.

A top lawmaker in Louisiana is giving a cool reception to suggestions that New Orleans add Vegas-style casinos. The city's mayor made the controversial proposal yesterday as a way to jump-start the economy in the storm-decimated city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: I'm proposing expanding and creating a zone, which will start from Claiborne Avenue and run along Canal Street. So it would go along Canal Street. It would loop around Harrah's Casino and go to Poydras Avenue, and then Poydras Avenue to Claiborne again. So it would be a U-shaped casino conversion and gaming zone. And in that zone, hotels that have 500 rooms or more would be allowed to convert into a full-fledged casino.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The president of Louisiana's State Senate says he'll look at the mayor's proposal for a gambling district, but says the state probably already has enough gambling. Video machine gambling is allowed in half of Louisiana's parishes and Harrah's already has a casino in New Orleans.

NGUYEN: Here is something that may surprise you. Experts now believe Hurricane Katrina was weaker, yes, weaker than first thought. In fact, as scientists crunch the numbers and study the evidence, there is a good chance the storm will be reduced to a Category 3. And the difference isn't about history; it's about the future.

CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's see, what is this?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): As Katrina victims sort through the rubble and pick up the pieces of their lives, researchers are combing through the damage and the data to learn more about the power of destruction. Pictures like this show the raw power of Katrina's storm surge. But pictures like this have convinced some scientists New Orleans could have fared worse.

JOSH WURMAN, CENTER FOR SEVERE WEATHER RESEARCH: That tells us that the winds were not 140 miles an hour sustained, probably not even 120 miles an hour sustained. Particularly in New Orleans, which was on the weaker side of Katrina, the winds probably did not exceed 100 miles per hour.

JERAS: That means Katrina probably will be downgraded to a Category 3 when it hit the coast, according to Wurman. And preliminary data from the National Hurricane Research Center supports that.

If Katrina was a 3, what would a 4 have done to New Orleans? The most significant difference would be the wind damage. The damage from a Category 4 is about 40 percent worse than a 3. Take a well-built one-story home. A Category 3 storm may damage the roof and the windows, but a Category 4 would tear the roof off and possibly flatten the home.

In a high-rise, a Category 3 would probably leave the windows intact. A 4 likely would knock out all of the windows and gut the building. But the worst devastation from Katrina and most storms isn't the wind, but the storm surge, which is far worse in a Category 4.

STEPHEN BAIG, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: The difference between a Category 3 and a Category 4 for storm surge rather depends on what part of the coastline are we talking about. In the New Orleans area, it can be a matter of as much as four or five feet.

JERAS: That four or five feet can make a crucial difference in cities like New Orleans protected by levees. Four feet can keep it under or put it over the top.

BAIG: So we have problems defining just where sea level is. And the benchmarks that are used to measure the elevations, let's say of the levee heights, may be inaccurate, as much as four feet in their actual real elevations.

JERAS: In this case, we may never know the exact measurement, because the levee breach flooded the city with more water than the surge would have.

And then there's the problem that the city and much of the Gulf coastline are literally sinking. The precise intensity of this storm matters little to the people who lost family, friends, homes and jobs. But it could make a big difference in how the region is reconstructed.

WURMAN: When we think about how to protect metropolitan areas, we shouldn't use Katrina as the bellwether worst-case standard. It was far from the worse case. And if we really want to protect a city from a Category 4 or 5 and the strong side of a Category 4 or 5, we need to do qualitatively different things in terms of levee design, in terms of getting more people evacuated.

JERAS (on camera): National Hurricane Center meteorologists say they expect their final report in a number of weeks, though sometimes research can take longer. Hurricane Andrew was upgraded to a Category 5 storm 10 years after making landfall.

Jacqui Jeras, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Our top story this morning, a major quake hits south Asia. We're bringing you the latest developments as they happen when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Upstairs now, seventh floor.

NGUYEN: Is that where he is?

HARRIS: I'm just guessing.

NGUYEN: I can never find him in this building.

HARRIS: Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You've never even tried to find me.

NGUYEN: Yes, OK, we'll be honest, we haven't tried.

MARCIANO: But if you are going to try to come up here, bring a box of bread crumbs or popcorn to find your way back.

NGUYEN: So we can find our way back.

MARCIANO: Yes, it's a lonely place.

Hi, guys.

NGUYEN: Poor -- Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

That's the latest from here, guys, back over to you.

HARRIS: Wait, you're playing that St. Louis series in St. Louis. I don't think they are, though, I think they moved it out to San Diego. But look at that weather.

NGUYEN: Well the weather all across the nation is nice.

MARCIANO: Yes. Yes, San Diego looks good. Houston looks good. Yanks, I'm not sure that's going to happen today. But they don't like to cancels playoff games, you know?

HARRIS: No, no, no! That's right.

MARCIANO: You know what I'm saying?

NGUYEN: You got that right.

MARCIANO: Don't like to cancel those.

NGUYEN: All right -- Rob.

MARCIANO: See you guys later.

HARRIS: Fall Classic coming up.

Thanks, Rob.

NGUYEN: Bird Flu fears. That's what we're going to be talking about. The government is taking steps to deal with an outbreak of the deadly virus, but will they be ready in time? And we're going to tackle that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," at least a half dozen aftershocks have jolted South Asia just hours after a major earthquake struck the region. More than 800 people are confirmed dead in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. And that number is certain to rise. Crews are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings, but night has fallen over the last few hours, making it very difficult there.

We do have new details that are emerging on the alleged terror plot that has prompted intense security in New York's subway system. Military officials tie it to the capture of at least three suspected al Qaeda operatives in Iraq. And one official with knowledge of the investigation says yesterday and tomorrow were mentioned as possible dates to strike. Two separate incidents yesterday both proved to be false alarms.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi forces have ended the week-long offensive dubbed Operation Iron Fist in western Iraq. Military officials say more than 50 al Qaeda terrorists were killed in Anbar province, which is a restive area that is becoming a major front in the war. Two roadside bombings there killed six U.S. Marines on Thursday. TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Night has now fallen across South Asia, but the scope of devastation from this morning's earthquake is more clearly coming into focus. Pakistan's government says the death toll could surge into the thousands. The quake measured a magnitude of 7.6 and is the strongest to strike the region in a century. Its epicenter was about 60 miles north-northeast of Islamabad near Pakistan- controlled Kashmir. In just a couple of minutes, we'll be talking to the minister of state for interior information who is coordinating all of the rescue efforts going on in the region right now. That interview in just a couple of minutes. Stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake and its impact across South Asia. We'll have live reports from the region throughout the day.

NGUYEN: Meanwhile, President Bush is on the offensive and on the air this morning, defending his nomination of Harriet Miers to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now last hour, he devoted his weekly radio address to supporting the nominee amid doubts and even complaints from leading conservatives. Here to set the stage on a looming confirmation battle is CNN national correspondent Bob Franken at the White House.

Bob, I'm very interested to see how this shakes out because the president wants this confirmation by Thanksgiving. It's going to be really interesting to see if he's got the backing that he thinks he has.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't think many people believe it's going to happen by Thanksgiving. And you're right, the president is trying to take the offensive because he's been on the defensive ever since he announced Harriet Miers, defensive from the conservatives, his normal allies. They have for years wanted somebody who was an outspoken conservative to take a seat on the Supreme Court. And in this case, it would be the replacement of Sandra Day O'Connor.

Well, Harriet Miers has had the kind of career that leaves her outspoken publicly on just about nothing. And the conservatives are very, very upset about this. So President Bush took on the airwaves, as you pointed out this morning, to tell his fellow conservatives that, hey, her heart is in the right place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I chose Harriet Miers for the court both because of her accomplishments and because I know her character and her judicial philosophy. Harriet Miers will be the type of judge I said I would nominate, a good conservative judge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Pretty much what he said before. And when he has said this before during the last several days, he has got nothing but flak from conservatives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JESSICA ECHARD, EAGLE FORUM: This is a letdown for the conservative base. Most of the folks who voted for President Bush are not energized by this nomination.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: We're left to try to gather little pieces and shreds of evidence and do almost a CSI-type of operation to try to conjecture out of that where a person will be.

WILLIAM KRISTOL, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: A mistake that could be rectified by Ms. Miers deciding that it might be for the good of her president if she stepped aside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And where, you might ask, are the people on the liberal side of the political agenda? Well, there's an old adage, Betty, that in politics, when your opponents are doing damage to themselves, simply stay out of the way.

NGUYEN: Hmm, all right, Bob Franken, thank you for that -- Tony.

HARRIS: Listen to this. A draft of the Bush administration plan to deal with a possible pandemic flu epidemic shows the country is severely under-prepared. That's according to The New York Times which obtained a copy of the plan. The newspaper reports the plan states that if a major outbreak occurs, hospitals could be overwhelmed and nearly 2 million people could die. That's in a worst case scenario. It calls for quarantine and travel restrictions but concedes those measures would only delay the disease's entrance into the U.S. by maybe a month or two.

NGUYEN: Representatives from about 80 countries met in Washington yesterday to consider how to prevent and contain an outbreak of bird flu. So far, about 60 people have died in Asia from the disease. Our Andrea Koppel has more on how the U.S. is broadening its scope, working with the global community to try to keep it from reaching our shores.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is how the virus spreads, from infected birds like chickens and ducks, to humans, usually poor farmers, whose livelihood depends on them.

It's not a crisis, at least not yet, but since December, 2003, the avian influenza has turned up in at least 10 Asian countries, infecting more than 100 people, killing at least 60 of them. Now, almost two years after the virus first appeared in Southeast Asia, the Bush administration is mobilizing an urgent global call to action.

MIKE LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY: The world is obviously unprepared or inadequately prepared for the potential of a pandemic.

KOPPEL: To jumpstart such preparations, the State Department hosted officials from over 80 countries. The goal? To persuade governments, even those not on the front lines in Asia, to focus on planning for a possible pandemic.

Some forecast that tens of millions could die, and economies around the world would suffer. The U.S. hopes to convince those unaccustomed to sharing information it's in their best interests to do so.

MIKE JOHANNS, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: As a global community, if we fail to act decisively, the repercussions will be significant, really at all levels, and in every country.

KOPPEL: Among the many challenges, to manufacture a vaccine to keep the virus from spreading, and to expand the stockpile of anti- viral medications like Tamiflu. President Bush summoned the heads of half a dozen U.S. pharmaceutical companies to the White House to encourage them to do just that.

But ultimately, experts say, the best way to protect Americans is to contain the virus before it spreads.

DAVID NABARRO, UNITED NATIONS: You can't simply put a wall around the United States of America and keep the virus out. It won't be like that. Instead, keeping America safe means addressing the bird flu epidemic in Asia.

KOPPEL (on camera): And that is just what the head of the Department of Health and Human Services and other senior officials from here at the State Department plan to do when they head out to Asia this weekend.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Back to our top story now, and let's turn to the man who is supervising all the rescue work now under way in Pakistan. Shahzad Waseem is the minister of state for interior information, and he joins us by phone from Islamabad.

And Mr. Waseem, good to talk to you. Can you give us a sense if you would of just what kinds of efforts are under way in your country right now to save people?

DR. SHAHZAD WASEEM, MINISTER OF STATE, PAKISTAN: Yes, right now, you know, we are assessing a big disaster (INAUDIBLE). I can't comment much on what is happening in the rest of the country because I'm monitoring the relief efforts in the capital city of Islamabad; where we have nine-story building that collapsed and we fear that around 150 to 200 people there are trapped inside the rubble.

So, this morning, the relief efforts, they are in full swing, and we have coordinated between the army troops (INAUDIBLE) moved in, and all (INAUDIBLE) administration, police, everybody is putting in (INAUDIBLE) airport (ph). We have officially (INAUDIBLE) all the nearby buildings, they have been evacuated. There's an ample supply of food, medicine, water. Emergency was declared in the hospital and there is an ample of blood (ph) supply for the patients. And right now, about 75 to 80 people have been treated in the hospitals and eight to 10 have been reported dead in the hospitals, but we believe that that toll could be much more because still, we are in the process of removing the rubble and we are working hard on it.

HARRIS: Mr. Waseem, how much work can you actually get done now in these overnight hours? How much work can go on now?

WASEEM: Yes, in the beginning, we were not using heavy machinery in the beginning to start with because the whole rubble was very delicately poised and we were expecting quite a few people alive within the rubble, so we moved in with a strategy in the beginning with the cutters and small (INAUDIBLE) to create holes, dig tunnels, so that we can evacuate injured people and this strategy was quite effective. But later on now, we are moving the heaviest and the heavy columns and the heavy part of the rubble with the help of heavy duty machinery.

HARRIS: How concerned are you with the numerous aftershocks in the country?

WASEEM: Yes, that's a big problem because the nearby buildings, this was a series of buildings and the two blocks have collapsed and the rest of the building is really in a very dangerous situation. And we have to (INAUDIBLE) at the same time we are getting news of the aftershocks. What we have done is that we have already evacuated these nearby buildings and repairing a relief camp in a nearby state (ph) garden, where we are supplying medicine, food, water, everything available. Help lines have been established and there's (INAUDIBLE) coordinated effort going on right now.

HARRIS: OK. Let me just sort of wrap this up and summarize this. How many buildings again in Islamabad, keeping the focus right there where you are, have collapsed and how many people do you believe are still trapped?

WASEEM: Yes. You know, this is probably one of the worst earthquakes that Pakistan has experienced, around 7.8. The largest earthquake we had in the past was around 6.6 or 7, I'm not exactly sure, but around this figure. For the most of the buildings, they are not designed for these sort of heavy earthquakes, but having said that, luckily, the major buildings, they have not suffered major damage except this building.

HARRIS: OK, all right. Dr. Waseem, good to talk to you, thanks for taking the time.

Boy, it's a delicate operation going on right now. Overnight hours, I don't how much work they can actually get done.

NGUYEN: It's raining in some of the areas, it's nightfall, they have a lot of obstacles in the way but hopefully they can get to the people in desperate need, and there are a lot of them out there. We're going to continue to update you on this story all day long. As we have been telling, you a major earthquake has hit South Asia. And we're going to bring new developments just as we get them.

So you want to stay with CNN, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Hmm. What big eyes you have, said the alligator to the python in the Florida -- is this kind of the tone that you wanted with this? Florida everglades.

(LAUGHTER)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: I just wanted to hear you say it.

HARRIS: Is that what it was?

DE LA CRUZ: Say it again, hmm, what big eyes you have.

HARRIS: Hmm, what big eyes you have. Veronica De La Cruz here.

DE LA CRUZ: Nicely done. Nicely done. And you know that python you were just mentioning, I would say that he bit off a little bit more than he could chew and I'm going to get to that and explain it. But first, I'm going to tell you how to find these most popular stories. You're going to log onto cnn.com.

Look for that green watch box, click on "browse and search," then you're going to select that tab that says "most popular." All right. Let's check out a couple pieces of this video. Here is some high- flying fun. We're just about to see it. There it is, high-flying fun this morning, Tony.

Users at cnn.com are clicking on this story. Remote-controlled airplane pilots orchestrate an aerial ballet in Arizona all the while competing for a grand prize of $80,000.

Now look at that. And here's another one, Tony, receiving a lot of clicks, a tangle in a Florida everglades swamp between a 12-foot Burmese python and an alligator. Who do you think won?

HARRIS: Yes, who won that?

DE LA CRUZ: Well, Tony, the python's...

HARRIS: That's a good tease.

DE LA CRUZ: The python's eyes were apparently bigger than his belly because it ate the six-foot alligator whole, it gorged itself to death and then it exploded.

NGUYEN: No, it didn't.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, it did.

NGUYEN: It exploded?

DE LA CRUZ: It exploded. NGUYEN: You're kidding me.

DE LA CRUZ: The snake ate the alligator...

NGUYEN: I want to see pictures.

DE LA CRUZ: ... and it exploded. Well, you're going to have to log onto cnn.com. But I think there's a lesson here.

HARRIS: Yes.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. I think there's a lesson here. Take an antacid, Alka Seltzer.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: That wasn't the lesson I was thinking of. But OK, I got you.

NGUYEN: It did not explode.

DE LA CRUZ: No, it did, it did.

NGUYEN: I've got to see the pictures of this.

DE LA CRUZ: Cnn.com.

HARRIS: Eats the alligator.

NGUYEN: And explodes.

DE LA CRUZ: It exploded.

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: Do the math. It's 12 feet and then the alligator's six feet, but think about how wide it is and the snake is maybe...

NGUYEN: OK, OK, we get it.

DE LA CRUZ: It exploded, it exploded.

NGUYEN: That is wild, just wild.

HARRIS: And somehow it feels fitting that it would happen that way. Veronica...

NGUYEN: Serves him right, right? OK.

HARRIS: ... thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, here's one for you, if you can make a law, any law, Tony, what would it be?

HARRIS: You know, snakes should not eat alligators.

NGUYEN: Eat alligators, yes, that makes sense.

Our Jeanne Moos has found a contest that's done just that and we'll tell you about it when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

HARRIS: Full circle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Tony, how many times have you muttered through clenched teeth, there ought to be a law? Well, now's your chance. A man who really does make laws for a living is offering that chance to the rest of us without that pesky political campaign that often comes with it.

Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever wished you could take the law into your own hands, literally? What laws would you dream up?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would have a law about the people walking around with the little earphones on their telephone. It's going to say, you can't walk around and look like you're an insane person talking to yourself and scare the people around you.

MOOS: Remember how we used to learn how a bill became a law?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: It's not easy to become a law, is it?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: No, but how I hope and pray that I will but today I am still just a bill.

MOOS: Well, Bill, these days, you can't enter a contest.

JOE SIMITIAN, CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE: My annual contest is called "There Ought to be a Law."

MOOS: In five years, California State Senator Joe Simitian has gotten all these entries and what do the winners get?

SIMITIAN: The real prize, if you will, is that at the end of the year, their idea has become law for 36 million Californians.

MOOS: Eight bills have actually been signed into law, like the one about antifreeze, submitted by a retired nurse.

SIMITIAN: Her puppy had died. She didn't know why. A little exploration turned up the fact that the puppy had apparently lapped up some antifreeze in a parking lot.

MOOS: That led to a law that requires antifreeze to contain a bitter-tasting substance to prevent kids and pets from drinking it. Without the bitter stuff, antifreeze tastes sweet .

Another winner... SIMITIAN: I had a constituent who took her $100 gift certificate into a local retailer and they said, sorry, we're going through bankruptcy proceedings and we can't honor that.

MOOS: She figured there ought to be a law and now there is, requiring a business that goes bankrupt to honor gift certificates.

Among the contest rejects, a proposed law saying, for every law passed, one should be taken off the books. Never getting on the books was a suggestion to reprogram ATMs to function as voting machines.

Maybe you would prefer a law against, say, spit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People who spit everywhere. That bothers me.

MOOS: Or one requiring public toilets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put port-a-potties out so 59th Street doesn't smell like (expletive deleted).

MOOS: The make-your-own-law concept is spreading. New York Assemblyman Jimmy Meng's contest has attracted proposals like requiring all people wash their hands in public restrooms, not just employees.

(on camera): Personally, I think there should be a law against people who walk the left side of the escalator rather than standing on the right so that people like me can go in the passing lane. Excuse me, sorry.

(voice-over): If you think that's petty, Reader's Digest once joked there ought to be a law against rotating a circulating merchandise rack while another shopper is browsing. And how about a ban on the press shoving cameras inches from your face?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That should be a law.

MOOS: This guy's proposed legislation was based on the Bible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This says every green seed-bearing plant is good for you.

MOOS: It figures a guy with a sign saying "can you spare a dollar to buy pot" proposes legalizing it.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: There ought be a law.

NGUYEN: I could think of a ton of them right now.

HARRIS: Sure. Sure.

NGUYEN: There ought to be a law.

HARRIS: Take a look, take a look. Thank you for watching us this morning. We'll see you back here tomorrow beginning at 7:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: CNN LIVE SATURDAY is ahead with live updates from South Asia, the scene of this morning's deadly earthquake. We do have more converage right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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