Two die, several hurt as strong earthquake jolts Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two people, including a minor girl, died and several others sustained injuries as a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday struck Islamabad and various cities of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Fata and Gilgit-Baltistan and neighbouring Afghanistan.

In the Lasbela district, roof of a dilapidated house collapsed due to the quake. As a result, one girl died and 11 other people were injured. Cracks also emerged in many houses in Hub. One person died and several others were injured when mud houses caved-in in the Awaran district.

Officials dispatched teams in Balochistan and KP to assess reports of damage. In Peshawar, four girls sustained minor injuries when students of government-run primary school in Landiarbab ran in panic to save their lives after the powerful tremors. There were reports of roof and wall collapse in some parts of the KP. However, no major casualty was reported. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) did not expect serious losses, a spokesman said.

The earthquake originated around 169 kilometres below the earth surface with the epicentre located in mountains of Hindu Kush near Afghanistan’s Jarm, which was hit by a devastating 7.5 magnitude quake in October 2015 that triggered landslides and flattened buildings killing more than 380 people across the region.

The parliament session in Islamabad was also adjourned due to tremors. The Supreme Court building was also evacuated. Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, who was hearing a case at the time of the earthquake, remarked that people should remain calm as the tremors would subside.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed the relief agencies to remain alert in case of any untoward incident in the province. He has also ordered the concerned authorities to monitor the situation and stay vigilant.