Entire Generation Might Have Been Lost in S. Asian Earthquake

MUZAFARABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 10, 2005 — -- In another devastating scene left in the wake of the deadly earthquake that struck South Asia, a twisted mound of cement and rubble is what remains of the Rizwan elementary school. More than 400 children, aged 3 to 8, had just started class Sunday when the earthquake struck. Only 20 have been pulled out alive.

Three days later, desperate parents are still frantically digging through the ruins, hoping against hope they might find their children.

Today, all they found was a small pile of book bags.

Shopkeeper Rizwan Naqvi has been searching for his young daughter and her 7-year-old brother.

"The first day, they were pulling the children out alive, but now all I can find are my son's books," he said.

Those kind of heart-wrenching scenes are being repeated across the Kashmir valley, where at least one college and six schools have crumbled.

Some fear an entire generation of children has been lost.

Amid so much tragedy, however, there was a little bit of hope. Two roads have opened into the region, meaning that much-needed supplies and rescue teams can finally reach the area.

But for the hundreds of young children still trapped under the rubble, time is quickly running out.

Turkish rescuers arrived today and were dispatched immediately to the Rizwan school. They sent a sniffer dog to look for signs of life under the ruins, but found none.

ABC News' Gretchen Peters filed this report for "World News Tonight."