The strongest earthquake in 10 years rocked Pakistan on Monday leaving over 130 people dead and hundreds injured and causing widespread damage, stretching from the areas near Afghanistan to Punjab and Kashmir regions bordering India.
The 7.5 intensity quake with its epicentre in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains jolted most northern parts of Pakistan including major cities like Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta and Multan at 2.09 p.m., officials said.
Monday's was the most serious quake since the October 8, 2005 temblor measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale devastated Kashmir and Northern Areas, leaving more than 80,000 dead.
The Pakistan Army began rescue operations within hours.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan bore the brunt, accounting for over 120 fatalities, Pakistani officials and media said.
At least 18 people were killed in Peshawar city, according to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Information Minister Mushtaq Ghani, while over 100 injured were warded in the Lady Reading Hospital.
Elsewhere in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa, seven people were killed in Mansehra, two in Charsadda, 18 in Shangla and 20 in Chitral, which fell closest to the quake's epicentre. Fourteen people, including four children, were killed in the Bajaur tribal region near the Afghanistan border after buildings collapsed. Two deaths took place in the Khyber and Mohmand agencies each.
Eight people were killed in Swat Valley, while nearly 200 injured were brought to Swat's Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital.
Deaths were also reported in Upper and Lower Dir (7 and 9 respectively), Buner (5) and Mardan (2). Details of the other deaths were not clear.
In Punjab, a child was killed in Kallar Kahar area of Chakwal district, one woman was killed in Sargodha and 10 others injured in a wall collapse and one in Kasur district when a house roof came crashing down.
One death was reported from Mirpur in Pakistani Kashmir and three in Gilgit-Baltistan, where the tremors also caused a massive landslide.
Officials said the toll was feared to rise further as communication was cut off with several remote and mountainous areas.
Communications services were also disrupted in Islamabad and Peshawar where frightened people rushed out of their houses and offices. According to officials, many buildings, roads and other structures were damaged.
Dunya News TV reported that a part of the historic Bala Hissar fort in Peshawar was damaged. A minaret of the 17th-century Mahabat Khan Mosque in the city also collapsed.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said troops had been directed "to carry out immediate rescue work in affected areas without waiting for formal orders". Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif flew to Peshawar to oversee rescue operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Army teams fanned out for a quick assessment of earthquake damages across the country, Gen. Bajwa said.
All command military hospitals were on high alert. Helicopters were on standby.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies to declare an immediate alert and mobilise all resources to help the quake victims.
President Mamnoon Hussain expressed grief over the loss of lives. So did celebrities who took to social media to express their anguish.
Singer Ali Zafar was overcome by its intensity. "That's the most ... I've ever felt an earthquake," he tweeted. Meesha Shafi posted: "WOAH! HUGE earthquake! #Lahore."
Singer and activist Hadiqa Kiyani posted on Instagram: "Praying for everyone's safety."
QUAKE HITS NORTH INDIA, MODI TALKS TO GHANI, SHARIF
An earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale with its epicentre in Afghanistan on Monday shook large parts of north India, sparking panic in the region and damaging property in Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif and offered India's help.
Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & expressed condolences on the loss of lives due to the quake. Offered all possible assistance from India.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 26, 2015
Hundreds of thousands of people fled out of their houses and offices in Delhi and adjoining areas as well as in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. There were no reports of casualties but there was major damage to property in Kashmir.
The tremors, around 2.40 p.m., were distinctly felt for 30-40 seconds, shaking high-rise buildings across north India. The epicentre of the quake lay in Jarm in Afghanistan, 256 km northeast of Kabul.
Most multi-storey public and private buildings in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, suffered huge cracks. Dozens of houses and school buildings collapsed in southern and central parts of the Kashmir Valley, officials and residents said.
Traffic came to a halt as vehicles started swinging on shaking roads in the valley. A traffic flyover in Srinagar developed cracks.
Prime Minister Modi said India was ready to help Kabul and Islamabad.
"Heard about strong earthquake in Afghanistan-Pakistan region whose tremors have been felt in parts of India. I pray for everyone's safety," he tweeted. "We stand ready for assistance where required, including Afghanistan and Pakistan."
Modi followed it up with telephonic conversations with President Ghani, who briefed him about the deaths and destruction in Afghanistan. Modi also spoke to Sharif and offered "all possible assistance" to Pakistan.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked people not to panic and said disaster management teams had been activated.
As the tremors began, Delhi Metro immediately halted its services all across the capital and in the neighbouring regions of Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Jaipur Metro followed suit.
A Delhi Metro spokesman told IANS that the services were resumed after officials did a quick check for possible damage to infrastructure and rail tracks.
The worst hit were Afghanistan and Pakistan. At least 22 people were killed in Afghanistan and some 130 injured. The more populous districts of Pakistan suffered more, leaving 130 people dead and hundreds injured.
Person Finder launched to help track missing persons for Pakistan, Afghanistan #earthquake → https://t.co/PwWtVhDi4l pic.twitter.com/fkyOnwAFqW
— Google (@google) October 26, 2015
Afghanistan soon felt a major aftershock -- measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale.
The quake was felt in most of the northern parts of Pakistan including major cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sargodha and Kohat, Dawn newspaper and Pakistani officials said.
The deaths and destruction covered a wide arc, from the areas bordering Pakistan to the Kashmir and Punjab regions near India.
At least 200 people were admitted to a hospital in Swat and another 100 in a Peshawar hospital, officials said.
Dunya News said a part of Bala Hissar fort in Peshawar had been damaged.
Pakistan directed its army to carry out immediate rescue work in affected areas without waiting for formal orders.
Very sad news from Afghanistan & Pakistan following today’s earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers are with people in the region.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 26, 2015
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said army teams had been sent out for a quick assessment of earthquake damages across the country. All command military hospitals were placed on high alert.
