KOTA KINABALU: Kneading the soft sticky dough for naan bread at a coffeeshop in Inanam some 10km from the city, Abbas Khan cannot help but worry about his family in Pakistan.
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Although he knows they emerged unscathed from the devastating Saturday earthquake, he fears for their safety in the continuing aftershocks.
Abbas wonders about the fate of his relatives and friends living in other parts of Pakistan, particularly Islamabad, one of the worst-hit areas.
“My parents and six brothers and sisters are okay but the tremors continue and I find myself always praying that they remain safe,” said the coffeeshop worker who managed to contact his younger brother Yunus by telephone twice following news of the earthquake.
Abbas, 27, who is from Maraban city, about two hours' drive from Islamabad, said the earthquake did not cause as much damage in his hometown as it did in the capital city.
“Some buildings were damaged. And it has been a scary time for my family,” said Abbas who is one of the estimated 10,000 Pakistanis in the state.
He said following the earthquake, Pakistani workers living around nearby Kampung Likas met to ask each other about the fate of their families.
“Thank God, almost all of us found out that our families are all right,” Abbas said, adding that the group was planning on raising funds to help earthquake victims in their country.
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