Earthquake: Tremors jolt K-P, FATA and Azad Kashmir

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD:

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad, parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, adjoining tribal belt and Azad Kashmir and was felt as far afield as Lahore, at 2:25pm on Wednesday.

The depth of the tremor was said to be 50 kilometers and its magnitude was 6.2 on Richter scale in Peshawar. However, no injuries were reported but local sources in the Mohmand Agency said two residents from Durba Khel had been injured due to the collapse of a roof.

The mountainous region of the Pak-Afghan border was also affected, but due to the non-availability of communication in the region, it was difficult for the administration and security forces to locate areas stricken by the quake.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the Peshawar Met Office Director Mushtaq Shah said “It was a medium earthquake and its epicentre was northwest of Peshawar in the Hindukash range in Afghanistan near Jalalabad.”

He said the earthquake shook the Peshawar district, Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency and Khyber Agency as well as Mardan, Charsadda and Kohat.

“The more you are near to the epicentre, the more intense the tremor is,” he explained.

Foreign news agencies reported that 13 people were killed, dozens injured and scores of mud-brick homes were flattened near Jalalabad in Afghanistan, where the quake was measured at a depth of 62 kilometres and a magnitude of 5.6 by the US Geological Survey.

“More than half of Pakistan felt the jolt,” said an National Disaster Management Authority official, who added that if the quake was from both sides, the chances of damage would have been high. Three aftershocks of 5.4 magnitude were recorded in more than 20 cities in Pakistan. The meteorological department of Pakistan has stated that more aftershocks are predicted in upcoming weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2013.