LOC09:42
06:42 GMT
ISLAMABAD, March 22 (KUNA) -- At least nine people lost their lives while over 44 others received injuries in Pakistanآ’ northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province due to the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan on Tuesday night.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday said that 19 houses were partially damaged due to the earthquake in the province. It confirmed that nine people were killed and 44 others injured when a massive earthquake of 6.8 magnitudes jolted various parts of the country.
The injured were shifted to the nearest medical facilities where an emergency was imposed in the medical units.
The quake was primarily felt in northern parts of the country, including Rawalآpindi, Islamabad, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Haripur, Mardan, Chitral, Charsadda and others.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake was centered near Jurm town in north-eastern Afghanistan in the Hindukush region and had a depth of 187 kilometers. The earthquake also jolted the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan resulting in landslides in several areas killing livestock.
PDMA said the main Karakorum Highway was also blocked due to land sliding. The strong tremors were felt in several cities of Pakistan with tremors lasting for at least 30 seconds.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif directed the National Disaster Management Authority and other relevant institutions to stay alert to deal with any untoward situation.
Earlier last year, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed over 1,000 people while over 100,000 people lost their lives in the massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake in October 2005 jolting Pakistanآ’s northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir region. (end)
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