Quake toll rises to 37

MIRPUR: DC Mirpur Raja Qaiser Aurangzeb Khan on Wednesday said comprehensive data had been compiled, according to which as many as 37 people were reported killed and 579 injured due to the earthquake that hit Mirpur and adjoining areas of AJK on Tuesday.

Some 33 deaths have been reported in Mirpur district and four in Bhimbar district, he said while sharing some details with APP media team here. He said the quake had badly affectedaround 42 villages, completely destroyed 419 houses, damaged 12 mud houses, affected 520 farmhouses and damaged 200 vehicles. Around 40,000 have been affected by the quake.

The Deputy Commissioner said 490 injured, out of total 579, had been relieved from hospitals after treatment, adding as many as 160 seriously wounded were still under treatment. He said 400 tents had so far been distributed among the affected families, which were provided by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

He said the federal government had been requested for provision of more edibles, while non-governmental organisations had been asked to provide drinking water as the affected people were in need of these items. Adnan Khan, an eye witness told APP that 10 to 12 villages including Shng, Pulmana, Samwal Sharif, Afzalpur, Chathyin, Khari Sharif, Modern Jabhoot, Rahipur and Mangla Hamlet, situated along the Upper Jhelum Canal, were badly affected by the quake. He feared that the death toll would further increase in the coming days as traditionally people do not report casualties to hospitals and local administration.

He said the Jatli-Mangla road was completely destroyed and it would take time in restoration, so an alternative route had been partially opened for carrying out relief activities. Meanwhile, the AJK State Electricity Department said electricity had been restored in almost 90 percent affected areas, while it would be fully restored at the earliest as the staff concerned was busy in carrying out rehabilitation activities unabated

Meanwhile, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited earthquake affected areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and reviewed ongoing damage repair efforts at Jatlan Canal Road, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.

The COAS directed for restoration of normalcy with speed while rendering full assistance to civil administration. " Normalcy be restored with speed rendering full assistance to civil administration and taking best possible care of the affected population," the COAS said.