Earthquake hits parts of India and Pakistan
The tremor, which occurred at about 09:30 p.m. Earthquake hits parts of India and Pakistan
Kabul:
A massive earthquake felt across thousands of kilometres in Afghanistan and Pak killed at least 12 people, but the region appeared to have avoided the mass deaths normally associated with such tremors on Wednesday.
The magnitude 6.5 quake was located near Jurm in northern Afghanistan, according to the US Geological Survey, however, the depth of 187 kilometres (116 miles) prevented serious damage.
We sent an alarm since we expected maximum damage owing to the magnitude of the earthquake, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for Paki’s emergency Rescue 1122 service in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Fortunately, our anxieties were unfounded. The magnitude of the earthquake caused many to fear, although the damage was minor.
Quakes are common in the area, notably in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which sits at the meeting point of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.
I was awake all night.
Despite the proximity, a resident of one village in the Jurm area, near the epicentre, reported no deaths.
Our community has a population of 2,000 to 3,000 people, and we all spent the night outside beneath the stars, according to Inamullah, who was contacted by phone.
We were all terrified and stayed awake all night.
Panicked inhabitants of Afghan and Pakistani cities and villages left their homes to seek shelter away from structures, with many too afraid to return.
We spent the night in our courtyard… it was chilly outside, but we opted to remain out rather than return, said 24-year-old student Neda Raihan in Kabul.
Khudadad Heights, a sprawling multi-story residential complex in Pakistan’s capital, was evacuated when massive fractures emerged in the structure.
An earthquake that slammed southern Turkey and portions of Syria last month killed over 55,000 people, raising concerns around the region.
The youngsters began yelling that there was an earthquake. We all dashed out. According to Ikhlaq Kazmi, a retired professor in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, the horrors of the earthquake in Turkey and neighbouring countries had a deep influence on our nerves.
The quake killed nine people, including two women and two children, according to officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, north of Pakistan’s capital.
On High Alert
Officials in Afghanistan reported three deaths and 44 injuries, but phone and internet connections to rural sections of the nation had been disconnected, making communication difficult.
Health centres around the nation have been placed on high alert, according to government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid.
Noor Mohammad Hanifi, a Kabul trader, set up tents on the street for his family to sleep in.
Nobody dares to enter their homes, Hanifi said to AFP as his family took shelter under blankets.
When the earthquake occurred, many Afghan families were out of their houses enjoying Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Masih, who was outside with his family when the tremor struck, stated, “I heard people screaming and yelling as they came out in the streets.”
I’m still waiting outdoors since there’s a chance of another tremor.
Those who were inside likewise fled their homes and flats promptly.
They just ran without shoes, carrying their toddlers in their arms, according to an AFP journalist.
Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, has directed that the National Disaster Management Authority be prepared to cope with any disaster.
More than 1,000 people were murdered and tens of thousands were displaced last June when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake devastated the impoverished region of Paktika, the worst in Afghanistan in over a quarter-century.
Afghanistan is in the throes of a humanitarian catastrophe that will be exacerbated by the Taliban’s takeover of the country in August 2021.
Following the takeover, the South Asian country’s international development financing stopped, and assets stored overseas were frozen.
Islamabad:
According to local reports, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring over 160 others. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the earthquake’s epicentre occurred in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush area, and its depth was 180 km.
Tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, and other cities across Pak.
According to local media, strong earthquakes were felt in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Kot Momin, Madh Ranjha, Chakwal, Kohat, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Television video showed terrified residents on the streets.
According to a Geo News report, the earthquake killed nine people, including two women, wounded over 160 others, and caused several structures to collapse.
A rush was recorded in Rawalpindi marketplaces at the time of the earthquake, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.
According to the state-run Associated Press of Pak, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed disaster management personnel to be attentive in the event of a calamity.
According to The Express Tribune, Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel declared an emergency at the federal capital’s hospitals.
Apart from Pak, tremors were detected in India, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Kyrgyzstan, according to the worldwide seismological centre.
Pak is prone to earthquakes.
In January of this year, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake shook Islamabad.
The nation experienced its worst earthquake in 2005, killing around 74,000 people.
