Islamabad, Nov. 2: Pakistan today dramatically increased the official death toll of the October 8 earthquake to 73,276 and said it could rise further

Federal relief commissioner Major General Farooq Ahmed Khan, who has been supervising the rescue operations, said another 69,000 people were seriously wounded by the 7.6 magnitude quake.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz yesterday told the National Assembly ? the lower house of parliament ? that the death toll was over 57,000.

Khan said a total of 2,775 villages were adversely affected by the quake in the Northwestern Frontier Province and Pakistani Kashmir. relief workers had gained access to only 2,734 villages. However, he said the Jehlum, Neelam and Kaghan valleys were not yet open for traffic.