1 killed, over 50 injured in PoK after earthquake jolts north Pakistan

At least one woman was killed and more than 50 people, including children, were injured on Tuesday in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after a strong quake jolted several cities in the northern parts of the country including capital Islamabad.

Pakistan Meteorological Department's earthquake centre said the 5.8-magnitude earthquake was located near the mountainous city of Jehlum in Punjab province. Its depth was at 10 kilometres. However, Minister for Science Fawad Chaudhry said that the intensity of the quake was 7.1.

The quake was powerful and created panic as people ran out of building, eyewitnesses said.

One woman was killed and more than 50 people, including women and children, were injured and shifted to a hospital in Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after a building collapsed following the earthquake, Deputy Commissioner Raja Qaiser was quoted as saying by the Geo News.

Parts of a mosque collapsed in the area, which is severely affected by the quake. Emergency has been imposed in hospitals in PoK, the channel said.

TV channels showed the footage of heavily damaged roads in Mirpur, with many vehicles overturned. Several cars fell into the deep cracks on the roads.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has directed "immediate rescue operation in aid of civil administration" for victims of earthquake in PoK. Army troops with aviation and medical support teams have been dispatched, the media wing of the army tweeted.

Several cities including Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Skardu, Kohat, Charsadda, Kasur, Faisalabad, Gujrat, Sialkot, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Malakand, Multan, Shangla, Okara, Nowshera, Attock and Jhang felt the tremor.