AMN /
Death toll due to yesterday’s powerful earthquake is increasing with news are coing from different parts of the effected areas. Till there is report that more than 335 people have died, mostly in Pakistan. Tremors from the quake were also felt in northern India and Tajikistan. The quake was also strongly felt in parts of north-west China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The US Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centred in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 76 kilometers south of Faizabad.
In Pakistan, the death toll has risen to at least 253, in the northern mountainous areas. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, authorities said at least 179 people were known to have died, and more than 1,800 were injured. Deaths and injuries have also been reported in the Afghan provinces of Takhar, Nangarhar, Badakhshan and Kunar, with at least 82 killed in total. At least 12 of the victims were Afghan schoolgirls killed in a crush as they tried to get out of their building in Takhar province. The death toll is set to rise as the most severely affected areas are very remote and communications have been cut off.
President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have offered assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan. They expressed deep concern over loss of lives and destruction of property due to the powerful earthquake. In a tweet last night, the President expressed confidence that the people of the neighbouring nations will overcome this setback with fortitude. Earlier in a tweet yesterday, Mr. Modi said that he has asked for urgent assessment of the damage caused by the quake which also hit many parts of India.
United Nations says its agencies are mobilising and stand ready to support government-led relief operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the wake of yesterday’s powerful earthquake in the region. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condoled the loss of lives, a statement by his spokesperson said.
The US also said it is ready to provide any kind of assistance to the two countries. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters, that US offers its deepest condolences to those who have been affected by the earthquake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He however said US officials have not received request for any kind of assistance from Pakistan.
Tremors were also felt all across Northern India. In Jammu & Kashmir, a teenager was fatally hit by a rock in Jammu region and two elderly women died of heart attack in Kashmir yesterday afternoon as massive earthquake hit the region. Several residents were injured, scores of houses, bridges and roads developed cracks and communication system collapsed temporarily in the aftermath of massive tremor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a telephonic call to Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed yesterday evening to enquire about the situation following the massive earthquake.
The Chief Minister directed the Divisional commissioners to monitor the situation and ensure immediate relief to the affected people. The authorities have also set up a control room at civil secretariat to monitor the situation. State’s Relief & Rehabilitation Minister Basharat Bukhari in a high level State Disaster Management meeting reviewed the situation in the wake of the massive earthquake. He directed the administration to collect information related to loss of life and damage to public and private property across the State.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Javed Mujtaba Gillani said that no fresh report of any quake inflicted death has been received till now. Reports said at least half a dozen individuals have received minor injuries. Reports of tremors have also come in from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi NCR.