Toll rises to 30, over 370 injured in quake in Pakistan
Islamabad: The death toll in the devastating earthquake that rattled Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and several cities in the country rose to 30 on Wednesday as authorities stepped up relief efforts.
The epicenter of the powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which occurred at around 4 pm on Tuesday at a depth of only 10 kilometers, was near Mirpur city in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), roughly 20 kilometers north of Jhelum in Punjab, according to the US Geological Survey.
The earthquake resurrected the haunting memories of a monster tremor that had wrecked the region 14 years ago.
The earthquake which also jolted several cities of Punjab and Khyber-Pakthunkhwa province left at least 30 people dead and over 370 wounded, the disaster management officials were quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.
Eleven deaths have been reported in Jatlan and nine in Mirpur alone. Other people died in the areas located between Mirpur and Jari Kas, PoK's State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Secretary Shahid Mohyiddin said.
The number of casualties was likely to increase as around 100 of the injured were admitted to different hospitals in a critical condition, the report quoted the SDMA official as saying.
The areas worst hit were Mirpur city, a small town Jatlan and two villages Manda and Afzalpur, where buildings and homes collapsed, trees were uprooted and cracks appeared on roads large enough to swallow cars.
Other cities where the tremors were felt included Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Mansehra, Gujrat, Chitral, Malakand, Swat, Sahiwal, and Rahim Yar Khan.
The quake was powerful and created panic as people ran out of building, eyewitnesses said.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal said at a briefing in Islamabad that trucks loaded with relief items, including 200 tents, 800 blankets, 200 kitchen sets, and 100 medical kits would reach the people affected by the earthquake soon.
"The NDMA is already providing medicines, food items and tents, which were in its stock in the affected areas, to the victims," he added.
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has directed the armed forces to begin urgent rescue and relief efforts in the quake-hit areas, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing.
"Army troops have reached earthquake-hit areas of Mirpur, Jatlan, and Jarikas. Relief and rescue efforts are under way," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chaudhry Mohammad Saeed, PoK's Minister for Sports, Youth and Culture, told Dawn that a state of emergency had been declared in all public and private hospitals of the town.
A breach in the Upper Jhelum Canal caused by the earthquake inundated a number of villages along the Jatlan Road, around 140 kilometers south of Islamabad. The earthquake also damaged two pedestrian bridges over the canal, making it difficult for the locals to cross over, the report said.
In October 2015, a 7.5-magnitude quake in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed almost 400 people, flattening buildings in rugged terrain that impeded relief efforts.
Pakistan was also hit by a 7.6-magnitude quake on October 8, 2005, that killed nearly 90,000 people in PoK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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Fake IAS officer among 5 held at Indo-Nepal border attempting to cross sides
Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Five persons, including a man posing as an IAS officer, were arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at the India-Nepal Rupaideha border in Bahraich district while allegedly attempting to enter the neighbouring country in a vehicle that had a red-blue beacon and hooter, police said on Monday.
Circle Officer of Nanpara, Pahup Kumar Singh, told reporters that the incident occurred around 7.30 pm on Sunday when an Innova Crysta with a Uttar Pradesh registration plate and flashing beacon was stopped by SSB personnel at the border during routine checks.
During questioning, one of the occupants identified himself as Dharmendra and claimed to be an IAS officer posted at the Lucknow Secretariat.
However, the SSB, Rupaideha police and other security agencies conducted a detailed inquiry and found that none of them was an IAS officer, nor were they authorised to use a red-blue beacon, the officer said.
The vehicle was registered in Lucknow in the name of a firm, Priya Agencies, owned by the wife of the accused Dharmendra, he added.
The arrested persons were identified as Dharmendra Singh, Shubham Bajpai, Anmol Singh, Sachin Singh and Swapnal Sahay, all residents of Lucknow.
During interrogation, they admitted they were heading to casinos in Nepal to gamble.
Police recovered Rs 2.17 lakh in cash, six mobile phones, an electronic chip device and a power bank from their possession. A case has been registered against them under Section 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is underway, Singh said.
