Cities in Azad Kashmir and the upper half of Pakistan felt a major earthquake on Tuesday afternoon. With a recorded magnitude of 5.8, the earthquake jolted major cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi as well as multiple towns in Azad Kashmir including Mirpur.
Other affected areas include included Sialkot, Sargodha, Mansehra, Gujrat, Chitral, Malakand, Multan, Shangla, Bajaur, Swat, Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan
Police official in Mirpur tells BBC Urdu that at least 4 people have been killed and 50 injured following the earthquake in Pakistani Administered Kashmir… a local man from Jatlan village said these photos of the damage circulating on social media are correct pic.twitter.com/kulurgd0E4
— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) September 24, 2019
Chairman National Disaster Management Authority Lt. General Muhammad Afzal was quoted by TV Channels as saying that 50 people have been injured and one woman killed due to the earthquake.
However, some outlets reported that the number of injured people are counted at over 300 currently. Casualties are by this evening at 19 people.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located near Jhelum, with a depth of 10 km.
The worst destruction was reported to occur in Mirpur, home to a large number population of Pakistani diaspora in the UK and elsewhere. TV channels showed visuals of roads and houses completely destroyed.
Reports said that The upper Jhelum Canal had been affected with the possibility of multiple villages being inundated soon. However, no damage was reported at Mangla Dam and the corresponding Grid Station.
DG ISPR Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor tweeted that Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had directed immediate relief efforts to help those affected.
COAS directs immediate rescue operation in aid of civil administration for victims of earthquake in AJK. Army troops with aviation and medical support teams dispatched.
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) September 24, 2019
However, authorities said that the condition did not merit comparison with the destructive earthquake in 2005.
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