Tremor injures 12 people in northern Pakistan

Islamabad, Apr 4: A tremor measuring 5.2 injured about a dozen people in northern Pakistan today, almost five months after a huge earthquake devastated the region, police said.

The aftershock's epicentre was in Hazara division, 200 km northeast of the main northwestern city of Peshawar.

The shock was felt in Battagram and several parts of North West Frontier Province as well as Pakistani Kashmir and Islamabad, the Pakistan Metereological Department said.

''Several houses damaged in last year's earthquake collapsed and around twelve people have been injured,'' said Shehnaz Khan, a police officer in Battagram, adding that one person was in a critical condition.

More than 73,000 people were killed and around 3 million became homeless in the October 8 earthquake.

More than 1,800 aftershocks have been recorded since then and meteorological officials expect more will be felt until May.

REUTERS