ISLAMABAD, Oct 16 (Reuters) - A Pakistan army helicopter crashed in Pakistani Kashmir during a relief operation for the earthquake-shattered region, killing six soldiers, a military aviation official said on Sunday.

LONDON, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Rescue teams and aid pledges poured into Pakistan from around the world on Sunday after a devastating earthquake that killed about 20,000 people.

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan - A 20-year-old woman gave birth Saturday to a baby girl at a makeshift hospital after being evacuated by helicopter from her earthquake-shattered mountain village.

BAGH, Pakistan - Soldiers pulled a young girl alive from the rubble of her home Sunday, eight days after a mammoth earthquake killed tens of thousands of people and caused widespread damage in Pakistan's mountainous north and part of India.

BALAKOT, Pakistan - The death toll from Pakistan's earthquake rose sharply to nearly 40,000 Saturday, with the president warning the numbers could jump still higher as relief teams reach more villages in the endless folds of the Himalayan mountains. Homeless survivors searched desperately for blankets and tents to brace against plunging temperatures. The suddenly frigid weather in some hard-hit areas was an ominous sign that winter was fast approaching — with thousands of villagers still cut off from any aid whatsoever a week after the magnitude 7.6 quake hit the region.

BALAKOT, Pakistan - On prayer mats set atop the roof of one flattened mosque, the men bowed their heads in silence, seeking solace amid the rubble. For devout Muslims in this quake-ruined town, it was the first time Friday prayers were held since last weekend's devastating quake. They came by the hundreds — some carrying shovels, some wearing face masks — all looking for spiritual comfort.

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan said it will accept any financial aid from Israel for victims of the devastating earthquake, as the Islamic republic cautiously warms up to the Jewish state after decades of hostility.

Pakistan — Russian rescuers Wednesday freed an almost unscathed 5-year-old girl who had been entombed for five days in a collapsed stairwell. But as hope faded of finding many more survivors of last week's earthquake, relief workers turned to aiding the estimated 4 million left hurt or homeless amid the rubble.

A rush of international assistance, more cooperative weather and better coordination among national and foreign relief teams allowed authorities to slowly move food, water and temporary shelter to victims in remote mountain villages.

Still, untold thousands remained stranded beyond piles of rock and debris blocking roads, out of the reach of aid convoys and too numerous to be helped by the few helicopters available.