Strong 6.9 magnitude quake rattles parts of Pakistan
A strong 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan on early Saturday morning.
LAHORE (Dunya News/AFP) - An earthquake measuring 6.9 on Richter Scale rocked Pakistan on early Saturday morning, injuring at least 47 persons in roof collapse incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dunya News reported.
According to US Geological Survey the epicenter of the quake which struck at 00:14am on Saturday was located near the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border region at the depth of 197 kilometre.
The tremor was felt in almost all cities of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, including Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Abbottabad, Chitral, Murree, Mardan, Mansehra, Dir, Chalas, Hangu, Skardu, Malakand, Astore, Pind Dadan Khan, Faisalabad, Jhang, Wazirabad, Narowal, Kharian, Chunian, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Daska, Gagu Mandi, Kala Bagh, Shorkot, Bhakar, Sangla Hill and Bagh.
No loss of life was reported from any part of the country due to earthquake till filing of this report. However, at least 47 people were injured in roof collapse and wall collapse incidents caused by earthquake in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to sources, emergency was declared at all hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as 39 injured were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Tremors were also felt as far away as New Delhi in India and the Afghan capital Kabul, but not in neighbouring Nepal which was hit by a major quake in April.
Also Read: Hundreds dead, many injured in Pakistan as massive earthquake shakes S. Asia
The series of earthquakes are haunting reminders as terrifying memories of the record breaking earthquake that severely rattled the country on 26th of October are still fresh in the minds of people. The 8.1 earthquake left more than 260 dead and thousands homeless throughout the country, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) suffering the greatest damage.
Pakistan and the region, along an active continental plate boundary, is often hit by earthquakes. In September 2013, a magnitude-7.7 quake struck Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing at least 376 people. In 2005, the country was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless.
Kabul residents rushed out of their homes and buildings on what was a bitterly cold night amid fears of aftershocks, an AFP journalist said, while the quake also caused buildings to sway in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
An AFP reporter said the earthquake appeared to continue for at least 30 seconds, while Twitter users as far away as New Delhi said they felt its impact.
Though there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in Afghanistan, at least 17 people were injured as a result of the quake in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, according to the city s mayor Arbab Mohammad Asim.
In October, a 7.5-magnitude quake ripped across Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing nearly 400 people and flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.
For many in Pakistan, October s quake brought back traumatic memories of a 7.6-magnitude quake that struck in October 2005, killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5 million.
