By IsraelNationalNews.com

Israel sent a message to Pakistan through official diplomatic channels with an offer to send rescue teams after a massive earthquake that hit Kashmir on Saturday, said Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, has so far claimed more than 20,000 lives, not including those in nearby Afghanistan and India.

Israel and Pakistan do not have official diplomatic relations. A first-time meeting was held last month between the two countries' foreign ministers. Foreign Ministry officials are reporting that at present, there do not appear to be any Israelis among the over 20,000 dead in the earthquake which struck Pakistan.

Israel and Pakistan - the second-largest Muslim country - have no official relations, but the two countries' foreign ministers met last month for the first time. "We've expressed a desire to help, and we're hopeful that it will be possible to help," said Mark Regev, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Israel - which has sent rescue teams to Turkey and Mexico to assist in evacuation efforts after earthquakes struck those countries - sent a message to Pakistan through "official channels" and the United Nations, said a senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Pakistan has yet to respond to the offer. But Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said later Sunday that there has been no response from Pakistan or India to the offer of assistance.

No Israeli travelers were injured in the earthquake, the Israeli consulate in Delhi reported Sunday morning. Meanwhile, rescuers struggled to dig victims out who were still buried beneath the rubble of destroyed apartment buildings, schools and mud-brick homes.