Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Pakistan says that nine people have died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 44 people have been injured due to the earthquake that occurred on Tuesday night.
According to the statement of PDMA KPK, 19 houses in the province have also been partially damaged by the earthquake.
Those who lost their lives in the earthquake belong to Khyber, Bajaur, Lower Dir, Swat and Abbottabad, while half of the injured i.e. 22 people belong to Lower Dir. People have been injured in Karam, Mardan and Swabi.
Strong earthquake tremors were felt on Tuesday night in several places including Pakistan, India, China and Afghanistan. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the magnitude of the earthquake has been recorded at 6.8.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other relevant agencies to be ready to deal with any situation.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif’s prayer for well-being and safety regarding the recent earthquake
May Allah Almighty keep everyone safe and secure the country from every calamity: Prime Minister
— President PMLN (@president_pmln) March 21, 2023
Tuesday night’s aftershocks were so strong that people came out of their homes, and welfare calls began pouring in through WhatsApp messages and phone calls.
According to the statement released by the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the epicenter of the earthquake was the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan.
The statement further stated that the depth of the earthquake was 180 km.
On the other hand, according to the US Geological Survey, the magnitude of the earthquake in Afghanistan has been recorded at 6.5.
Reports of earthquake tremors have been received from almost all cities in Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta, while videos are also being shared on social media by people.
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According to the spokesperson of Rescue 1122 Lower Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Rahman, three people have been transferred to the district hospital Taimargarh during the stampede or panic caused by the earthquake.
Abdul Rahman told reporter Izharullah that the rest of the injured and unconscious people who were unconscious due to panic or injured while coming down the stairs have also been brought to the hospital.
According to Abdul Rahmab, ‘Our teams have left for the hospital and authentic data will be shared later.’
Muhammad Imran, in charge of Rescue 1122 from Tehsil Bahrain, has said in a video message that there is no truth in the reports of earthquake destruction and deaths in Bahrain.
Similarly, reports of earthquakes have also come from the neighboring countries of India and Afghanistan, as well as Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and India-administered Kashmir.
Ministry of Public Health regarding the earthquake:
Health centers are ready in all provinces, all the heads of public health in the country’s provinces have been told to order all health centers under their control to be on standby.
Alhamdulillah, no bad news of casualties has been received so far, we ask the Almighty God that our countrymen are safe.– Zabihullah (.. Zabihullah M) (@Zabehulah_M33) March 21, 2023
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Taliban government, says that there have been no reports of any loss of life or property as a result of the earthquake in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid has said in his statement on Twitter that instructions have been issued to health centers in all provinces to be ready to deal with any situation.
Earlier last year too, an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 occurred in eastern Afghanistan, in which more than 1,000 people died.
While this year there was a severe earthquake in Turkey and Syria as a result of which a total of 54 thousand deaths have occurred. The magnitude of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria was recorded at 7.8.
