DHAKA: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck major cities of Pakistan, including the northern areas, on Monday, leaving at least 52 dead and scores injured due to roof and building collapses.
Forty minutes after the first earthquake, an aftershock of 4.8 magnitude was reported in the same area. Aftershocks are expected to continue in the affected areas, reports Dawn.
At least 18 people were killed in Peshawar city, according to provincial information minister Mushtaq Ghani.
Eight people, including women and children, were killed in Swat, while four people were killed in the Bajaur tribal region after buildings collapsed in the area.
An eight-year-old child was killed in Kallar Kahar, whereas one casualty was also reported from Kasur after the roof of a house collapsed.
A 14-year-old child died in the Islamgarh area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur region after a school wall collapsed.
A wall collapsed in Sargodha, killing one woman and injuring 10 people, while three are injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
At least 13 people were killed in Chitral, which is closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. A child has reportedly died as the roof of a house collapsed in Raja Bazaar area of Rawalpindi.
One child was killed after the wall of a school collapsed in Miani Adda area of Punjab’s Chakwal district. Three people will reported killed in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Several landslides have been reported in mountainous areas of the country, leading to fears that the death toll may increase.
At least 194 injured were brought to Swat’s Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, which does not have adequate medical facilities.
More than 100 wounded have been admitted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.
Tremors have been felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.
Tremors were also felt in Kabul and New Delhi.
Moreover, at least 12 students were killed in a girl’s school in Afghanistan’s Takhar province, sources told Al Jazeera, adding that the death toll was expected to increase.
BDST: 1749 HRS, OCT 26, 2015
RR
** 24 killed as massive quake hits Pakistan
** Massive earthquake shakes South Asia
