26 dead, over 300 injured after 5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes North Pakistan

Islamabad, Sep 24: At least 26 people were killed and over 300 injured after an earthquake of 5.8 magnitude jolted the northern parts of Pakistan, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Islamabad, on Tuesday evening. The epicentre of the quake was near New Mirpur in PoK and tremors were also felt in several parts of North India.

The quake struck 23 km north of Jhelum in Pakistan at a relatively shallow depth of 10 km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported, adding that the magnitude of the earthquake was 5.8 on the Richter scale.

While no casualties or injuries were reported in India, people rushed out of their homes and offices in panic in several parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Pakistan Meteorological Department's earthquake centre said the 5.8-magnitude earthquake was located near the mountainous city of Jehlum in Punjab province. However, Minister for Science Fawad Chaudhry said that the intensity of the quake was 7.1.

Several cities, including Skardu, Kohat, Charsadda, Kasur, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sialkot, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Malakand, Multan, Shangla, Okara, Nowshera, Attock and Jhang, felt the tremors.

Mirpur worst hit by earthquake:

Mirpur and surrounding areas, where 26 people were killed and over 300 injured, were worst hit by the powerful quake. Some houses collapsed in Mirpur following the earthquake, Deputy Commissioner Raja Qaiser said. Parts of a mosque also collapsed in the area. Emergency has been declared in hospitals across PoK. TV channels showed the footage of heavily damaged roads in Mirpur, with many vehicles overturned.

The quake was powerful and created panic as people ran out of the building, eyewitnesses said. One woman was killed and more than 50 people, including women and children, were injured and shifted to a hospital in Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after a building collapsed following the earthquake, Deputy Commissioner Raja Qaiser was quoted as saying by the Geo News.

The building of the state-run Broadcasting House in Mirpur was badly damaged. The quake was powerful and created panic as people ran out of building, eyewitnesses said. TV channels showed the footage of heavily damaged roads in Mirpur, with many vehicles overturned.

Several cities including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Skardu, Kohat, Charsadda, Kasur, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sialkot, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Malakand, Multan, Shangla, Okara, Nowshera, Attock and Jhang felt the tremor.

In 2005, a powerful quake killed nearly 90,000 people in PoK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.