Earthquake: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fata Register Major Casualties in Pakistan, So Far

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

With almost 132 people dying in the earthquake wwhich was centred in Afghanistan and that hit Pakistan and Kashmir regions, major casualties have been reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata of Pakistan.

Epicentre of the earthquake was reported as Hindu Kush mountain range.

Casualties were reported in Swat, Bajaur Agency, Kallar Kahar, Sargodha, Kasur.

Communications services disrupted in Islamabad, Peshawar due to the natural calamity.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata: 121; Punjab: 5; Azad Jammu Kashmir: 1; Gilgit Balitistan: 3.

At least 194 injured were brought to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, which does not have adequate medical facilities.

More than 100 wounded have been admitted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.

Tremors have been felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.

Rescue 1122 has been put on high alert in Punjab. The disaster response force is on standby and a code red has been imposed, Director General Rescue Punjab Retd Brig Dr Ashraf Zia said. Rescue 1122 spokesperson, Jam Sajjad said, “there were no reports of any deaths in Lahore.”

Communication services have been disrupted in Islamabad, where walls swayed back and forth and people poured out of office buildings in a panic, reciting verses from the Holy Quran.

A building has also reportedly collapsed in Peshawar. Several mud huts collapsed in Balochistan’s Zhob district.

Citizens took to social media to post reports of the massive quake that lasted for up to one minute.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.

Vineet Gahlot, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department, said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and an epicentre deep in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. Pakistan state TV reported the same magnitude.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department, however, said the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.1.

The quake was 196km deep and centred 82km southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.

According to USGS, the epicentre is 67km from Chitral. (Dawn News)

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