New Delhi: A major earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale struck the remote Afghan northeast on Monday, killing at least 63 people in Afghanistan and 223 in Pakistan, injuring hundreds and sending shock waves as far as large parts of north India, sparking panic in the region, damaging property in Jammu and Kashmir, according to officials, with the toll set to rise. The massive earthquake, which lasted for at least a minute, was followed by at least two aftershocks of magnitudes 4.8 and 4.7 respectively, according to the USGS.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the earthquake was near Jurm in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the sparsely populated province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. It said the epicentre was 213 kilometres deep and 73 kilometres south of the provincial capital, Fayzabad.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on the incident, expressing condolences for the lives lost in the tragedy. He also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, offering support to all the three.
Pakistan worst-hit country Even though the epicentre was in Afghanistan, Pakistan was the country worst hit by the disaster. Pakistani officials said the death toll in their country from the Afghan earthquake had risen to 145. Inayatullah Khan, Pakistan’s provincial minister, said the death toll from earthquake in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone had jumped to 123.
More than 1,300 others were injured, according to PTI. 956 of the injured were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. Malakand Division in the province was the worst hit with 74 dead. The temblor collapsed buildings, triggered landslides and stampedes, prompting the government to rush army personnel to the affected areas for rescue operations.
Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif flew to some affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to assess the rescue operation in the region that is the worst hit. The army chief has landed at Corps Headquarters in Peshawar. Corps Commander (Peshawar Hidayat-ur-Rehman) has briefed him on damage assessment,” Director-General of Pakistan military’s media wing ISPR Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed the district administration to utilise rescue and relief funds. Emergency has been declared in all government hospitals and food and necessary items were dispatched to the affected areas. Reportedly, several buildings collapsed in various areas of the province mostly in northern parts in Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir and Buner districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies to declare an immediate alert and mobilise all resources to ensure the security of citizens of Pakistan. All agencies have been directed to move out with their resources. The Prime Minister also told the Gilgit Baltistan governor to mobilise tribal administration immediately for relief, rescue and damage assessment in the affected regions.
Tremors were also felt in most parts of North India including Jammu and Kashmir, and even Gujarat. Two elderly women died of cardiac arrest in Kashmir Valley apparently due to panic triggered by earthquake, which also killed a youth in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, reported PTI.
Ten people, including two army soldiers, were injured in the earthquake. Nearly three dozen buildings and public infrastructure were also damaged due to it in Kashmir Valley. Sixty-five year old Zoona Begum of Mohalla Mir Sahab in old town Baramulla suffered a massive heart attack as she was rushing towards a safer place when the earthquake hit around 2:40 pm, police said.
Quoting preliminary information, the official said over two dozen residential houses and six police buildings suffered damages in different parts of Kashmir Valley. We are still collecting the details and the figures of the damage to the public and private infrastructure might go up,” he said.
Bureau Report
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