People come out of a restaurant after a tremor was felt in Lahore, Pakistan [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
PM:06:09:22/03/2023
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SULAIMANI — The death toll from Tuesday's 6.8 magnitude
earthquake that jolted most of Pakistan, as well as neighboring India and
Afghanistan, has risen to 12, officials said on Wednesday (August 22).
In Pakistan, all of the deaths were reported in the
northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, said the
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in a statement.
Whereas the Afghan Information Ministry said, citing Health
Ministry spokesperson Ashraf Zaman, that earthquake-related incidents across
the country resulted in at least three fatalities and 44 injuries.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude
6.5 tremor had a depth of 187 kilometers and was located in Afghanistan's Jurm
area of the Hindukush region.
The National Seismic Monitoring Center in Pakistan initially
gave a reading of 7.7, which the Pakistan Meteorological Department revised
down to 6.8.
It said the earthquake was centered in Afghanistan,
Tajikistan, and Pakistan’s border areas.
Tremors were felt in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad,
Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Sargodha, Mianwali, Peshawar, Kohat, Swat, Chitral,
Dir, Shangla, and other districts of northeastern Punjab, southwestern
Balochistan, and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to the
National Disaster Management Authority and local media.
The tremor was also felt in Mirpur, Kotli, and other
districts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Over 80 people were hospitalized in Swat, Dir, Swabi,
Chitral, and Malakund districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, primarily as a result of
roof and wall collapses and trauma, said Bilal Fauzia, a spokesman for the
rescue service.
The majority of the injured suffered minor injuries, health
officials said.
In Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar, according to
national and provincial disaster management authorities, several high-rise
buildings developed cracks as a result of the earthquake, prompting the
administration to order a mandatory evacuation.
In Pakistan, footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News
showed people rushing out of buildings and heading for open spaces.
Another video showed a host and guests leaving the set of a
TV show while fans, chairs, and lights swayed.
The tremors also pulled down utility poles, knocking out
power in several areas, local broadcaster Samaa News reported.
Landslides blocked the historic Silk route that connects
Pakistan to neighboring China, at several points, the channel reported.
They also blocked roads in Swat and Dir districts at
different points.
The earthquake also shook parts of Indian-administered
Kashmir, as well as northern India, including the capital New Delhi.
(NRT Digital Media/AA)