K-P hardest hit by earthquake

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province was the hardest hit by a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted most parts of the country late on Tuesday. “At least 180 people, who suffered minor injuries, have been taken to hospitals across K-P,” Shahidullah Khan, a senior government official, told AFP.

K-P’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) confirmed two fatalities in the province. Police officer Shafiullah Gandapur in Swat said that a 13-year-old girl died when the wall of her house collapsed, while 150 people were injured across the district.

He added that emergency was declared at hospitals in the district. Other reports from the province said that at least five members of a family were injured after the roof of their house collapsed in Swabi, while the KalamBahrain Road was blocked due to a landslide caused by the earthquake. At least 29 people, including women and children, were injured in roof and wall collapse incidents in the Malakand Division and other areas.

A 90-metre-long wall around a police station also collapsed but did not cause any casualties. Meanwhile, emergency was declared at Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital and other hospitals in Swat district as dozens of people injured in earthquake-related incidents were being brought in. According to initial reports, infrastructure was damaged in upper Swat and Kalam-Bahrain Road was blocked at several points due to land sliding triggered by the earthquake.