ISLAMABAD: A powerful earthquake of magnitude 5.8 shook Pakistan-administered Kashmir and other areas in the eastern Punjab province on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 450 while rescue operations get underway, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.
The quake struck 14 miles (23 km) north of Jhelum, at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently in the US to attend the UN’s General Assembly session, has expressed grief over the loss of life. Khan and Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa have issued directives to civilian and military agencies for emergency rescue and relief efforts.
Residents walk along a road damaged during an earthquake in Jatlan, Mirpur, Pakistan September 25, 2019. (Reuters)
“Some injured in the hospital are also in critical condition ... the exact picture [regarding deaths and damages] will be clear by tomorrow (Tuesday),” Raja Irfan Saleem, Mirpur’s district police chief, told Arab News on Monday night and added that the preliminary death toll could be much higher, with many seriously injured.
Shortly after the quake hit several areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, photos and videos shared on social media showed collapsed buildings and cracks in roads large enough to swallow cars in Mirpur, a town on Pakistan’s side of the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Mourners carry the coffin of an earthquake victim during a funeral on the outskirts of Mirpur on September 25, 2019. Rescue workers battled on September 25 to reach people affected by a shallow earthquake that rocked northeast Pakistan a day earlier, killing at least 22 people and injuring hundreds more as it tore roads apart and felled buildings. (AFP)
Further away from the quake zone, in the capital Islamabad, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said at least 10 people had died with injuries to over 100.
“Rescue and relief teams including troops of the armed forces and medics have started reaching the earthquake-affected areas,” NDMA chief Lt. General Mohammad Afzal told media in a press conference. “Relief items including tents, blankets and kitchen utensils will be distributed among victims by tomorrow.”
Afzal said that rain was expected in the quake-hit areas in the next few days and that all “necessary things” would be provided to the victims for safety from harsh weather.
“The rescue and relief operation will be completed in the next three to four days along with the compilation of all the data [regarding damages and destruction],” he said. “We will start the rehabilitation process in a week or two.”
A main road in the area with a few bridges have been affected, he said, with machinery on its way to repair and open them for vehicular traffic. He added that the Punjab government had also dispatched ambulances, medical and rescue teams to provide timely help to the people.
“The situation is in our control, and we don’t need volunteers at the moment,” the disaster authority chief said. “All resources are available for rescue and relief operations in the areas.”
The last major earthquake in Kashmir occurred in October 2005, killing almost 80,000 people and leaving 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
