At least 19 people were killed and over 300 injured after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Pakistan-India border region in Jammu and Kashmir at a depth of 40 km, Dawn reported. Tremors were felt in parts of the National Capital Region, Jammu and Punjab on Tuesday around 4.31 pm.
The India Meteorological Department said the epicentre was in the Pakistan-India border region in Jammu and Kashmir (latitude 32.9 degrees north and longitude 73.7 degrees east) at a depth of 40 km. The earthquake’s magnitude was 6.3.
“The quake was 10 kilometres deep and was felt in most of Punjab province, some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Pakistan’s Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Riaz told AFP. He also said that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Mirpur was the worst-affected region.
The tremors were felt in Pakistani cities such as Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore, Dawn reported. The National Disaster Management Authority and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority were deployed in Pakistan to conduct rescue operations and collect data on the damage, Deputy Commissioner AJK Raja Qaiser told Geo News. Visuals shared on social media showed roads in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’s Mirpur and Bhimbar areas that had cracked open after the earthquake hit the region.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly session, expressed grief over the disaster. Khan and the country’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa directed civilian and military agencies to conduct emergency rescue and rehabilitation processes.
Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh confirmed that tremors were felt in the region. “We have not received report of any damage from anywhere in the state including the Valley,” he said, according to The Hindu.
Meanwhile,Kashmiris from several parts of India took to social media later in the evening, saying they were unable to connect with their family and friends in the state, after tremors were felt in parts of North India.
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J&K: Unable to contact home after earthquake, worried Kashmiris urge Centre to restore communication
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