Islamabad, Pakisan ? Pakistan’s official earthquake death toll jumped by 16,000, and officials warned Wednesday that it is likely to rise further as relief supplies fail to reach thousands of victims stranded in remote parts of the Himalayas.

The announcement, which puts the official toll at 73,000, brings the central government figures closer to the number reported by local officials, who say the Oct. 8 quake killed at least 79,000 people in Pakistan.

“Just imagine how many villages and towns became a heap of rubble and how many people got buried,” Maj. Gen. Farooq Ahmed Khan told reporters.

Khan said 73,276 people have been confirmed dead in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, up from the official count of 57,597. In India’s portion of Kashmir, an additional 1,350 people died.

United Nations officials say money for distribution of relief supplies was running dangerously low.