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At least 12 people were killed in Pakistan and Afghanistan as a result of a powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the two neighboring countries, with tremors felt throughout north India.
The epicentre of the Tuesday night tremor, with a depth of 187.589 km, was initially determined to be at 36.5227 degrees north latitude and 70.9787 degrees east longitude in Jurm, Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), reports Xinhua news agency.
The Disaster Management Authority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said in a statement on Wednesday that five men, two women, and two children were killed in the Pakistani province.
According to the Authority, at least 21 women, 19 men, and seven children were also injured and taken to various hospitals for treatment.
Landslides have also blocked roads in Abbotabad, as well as the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan’s Harban region.
The quake was felt in major Pakistani cities such as Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, and Charsadda.
According to Dawn news, videos from Islamabad show panicked people rushing out of their homes, particularly those living in high-rise buildings.
Cracks appeared in the Al-Janaat Mall in Rawalpindi and buildings in Islamabad, according to preliminary reports.
Following the earthquake, emergency response centers were established, and hospitals in northwest Pakistan declared an emergency.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed that the National Disaster Management Authority and other institutions prepare for any emergency.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, two people were killed in Takhar province, and a third was killed in Laghman.
Sharafat Zaman Amar, a spokesman for the Public Health Ministry, said on Wednesday that at least 44 people were also injured, and that the number of casualties could rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Acting Interior Minister Sarajudin Haqqani has directed that humanitarian aid be provided to the affected families.
The tremors were felt strongly across north India, from Kashmir to Delhi-NCR, and social media users reported fans and appliances swaying, while many people ran out of their houses.
There were no reports of any casualties or injuries in India.
Source:OCN
