Quake kills 13 in Pakistan, army mobilized

At least 13 people were killed in Pakistan on Monday when a major earthquake with its epicentre in Afghanistan hit parts of the country, media reports said.

Authorities said the Pakistan Army had been put on alert.

The quake was felt in most of the northern parts of Pakistan including such major cities as Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargoda and Kohat and as far south as Multan, officials said.

Four people were killed in the Bajaur tribal region near the Afghanistan border after buildings collapsed in the area, Dawn reported.

A child was killed in Kallar Kahar area of Chakwal district in Punjab, one woman was killed in Sargodha and 10 others injured in a wall collapse and one in Kasur district when a house roof collapsed, while six people were killed in Swat Valley, it added.

Nearly 200 injured were brought to Swat's Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital, while over 100 injured admitted to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital, said Dawn.

Dunya News TV reported that a part of Bala Hissar fort in Peshawar had been damaged.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khatak declared an emergency in all hospitals, an official statement said.

Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said troops had been directed "to carry out immediate rescue work in any affected areas without waiting for formal orders".

Army teams had been sent out for a quick assessment of earthquake damages across the country, he said in a series of tweets.

The official added that all command military hospitals had been put on high alert, and helicopters and earthquake rescue machinery were on standby.