COAS directs immediate rescue operation for victims of earthquake

Dunya News

The army troops with aviation and medical support teams have been dispatched.

RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday directed an immediate rescue operation in aid of civil administration for victims of earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

In a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army troops with aviation and medical support teams have been dispatched following the directions of the COAS. 

Earlier, at last four persons including a minor girl were killed and dozens others including women and children were injured in Azad Kashmir’s Mirpur area following the collapse of a roof of a building after a moderate 5.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan and other countries in the region.

Soon after the roof a building collapsed in Mirpur, rescue officials reached the spot and shifted the wounded people to local hospitals for medical assistance. The injured include women and children.

The quake, which was also felt in India, struck north of Jhelum, at a depth of 5km, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.

The jolts of the earthquake were felt in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad Capital Territory and other adjoining areas.

Panic gripped among the citizens as people were seen running out to open areas after the quake.