At least 237 people have died in Pakistan in the powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake that rocked the country and neighbouring Afghanistan as rescuers today scrambled to deliver relief aid to thousands of affected persons.
The death toll in the quake - the strongest in 10 years - in Pakistan has now risen to 237 from the earlier figure of 228 which included 214 dead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 5 in Punjab, and 9 in PoK, local media reports said.
A spokesman of FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) said 31 people were killed and 88 injured in FATA with 26 dead in Bajaur, four in Mohmand and one in Khyber Agency.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said at least 1,620 people have been injured across Pakistan.
"Till this morning, 185 people have died and 1,456 including women and children sustained injures in KP as several are in critical condition," said an official of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
He said PDMA has constituted seven teams to visit the affected districts for rapid need assessment and to supervise relief activities on grounds.
Over 2,000 tents, blankets and floor mats have been dispatched to the affected districts besides 1,000 food packets for the worst-affected Chitral district.
The official said Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir Upper and Lower and Toarghar districts are the most affected districts where infrastructure and houses were damaged on a large scale.
He said rescue and relief operations in the affected districts are continuing as civil administration, police, health and revenue authorities are participating in the relief operations besides army personnel.
Pakistan Army rescue teams are conducting assessment of damage and loss of property caused by the quake.
The military said 27 of 45 landslides have been cleared on the strategic Karakoram highway. Capacity of Combined Military Hospitals has also been increased by 30 per cent across the country.
The initial quake struck at 2:09 pm yesterday and was followed by seven aftershocks, measuring as high as magnitude 4.8, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Thousands spent last night outdoors in near-freezing temperatures reluctant to go back inside for fear of aftershocks, reports said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned to Islamabad following his US tour. Upon arrival he summoned a meeting to discuss relief efforts in the aftermath of the earthquake.
