Britain sends relief workers to Pakistan

LONDON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- British emergency workers are heading for Pakistan to help in search and rescue operations after Saturday's devastating earthquake.

The quake is believed to have killed at least 18,000 people, CNN reported late Saturday. Many of the victims were in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province and in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. The earthquake also hit India and caused a few deaths in Afghanistan.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced the government would donate 100,000 pounds ($175,000) for immediate relief and send 50 relief workers, the BBC reported.

British residents with relatives in the quake-stricken areas also began heading to Pakistan and India on Saturday, anxious about relatives they had not heard from.