130 killed, 1,000 hurt as 7.5 magnitude quake jolts Pakistan

At least 130 people were killed and over 1,000 others injured today as a powerful 7.5- magnitude earthquake rocked northern Pakistan, prompting the government to rush army personnel to the affected areas for rescue operations.
The quake's epicentre was located near Jurm in northeast Afghanistan, 250 kilometres from Kabul and at a depth of 213.5 kms, according to the US Geological Survey.
Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif left for Peshawar to supervise rescue operations in earthquake-hit areas, military's media wing ISPR said in a statement, indicating the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital was the worst hit.
The death toll in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is 121, with 5 killed in Punjab, and 4 in the PoK, Pakistani media reported.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has directed the district administration to utilise rescue and relief funds. Emergency has been declared in all government hospitals and food and necessary items were dispatched to the affected areas.
Reportedly, several buildings collapsed in various areas of the province mostly in northern parts in Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir and Buner districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that the quake hit the country at about 2:09 pm local time.
Several landslides have been reported in mountainous areas of the country, leading to fears that the death toll may increase.
Tremors were also felt in major cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Kohat and Malakand.

Forty minutes after the first quake, an aftershock of 4.8 magnitude was reported in the same area. Aftershocks are expected to continue in the affected areas.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies to declare an immediate alert and mobilise all resources to ensure the security of citizens of Pakistan. All agencies have been directed to move out with their resources.
The prime minister also told the Gilgit Baltistan governor to mobilise tribal administration immediately for relief, rescue and damage assessment in the affected regions.
On the directions of the premier, a round-the-clock crisis cell has also been formed to coordinate with all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies for damage assessment and rescue and relief efforts.

The premier also directed the governor to immediately reach Gilgit and take charge of rescue and relief efforts in the region.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in 2005 had killed over 73,000 people in Pakistan and left about 3.5 million homeless. However, the destruction then was more as the depth was very shallow.