Massive earthquake kills at least 9 people, injures 160 in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – A strong earthquake jolted parts of South Asian countries including Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan late on Tuesday, with at least nine dead in Pakistan and over 150 injured.

The casualties and injuries were reported mostly in northwest Pakistan, KPK, as the epicenter of the quake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

Residents were panicked as strong tremors were felt in major cities, including Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Charsadda, and Rawalpindi. Gujranwala, Sialkot, Chakwal, Kohat, and Gilgit-Baltistan areas, also suffered earthquakes.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Disaster Management Authority confirmed that 9 people passed away in the northwestern region while 44 people were injured in various accidents. The dead people include 5 men, 2 women, and 2 children while more than 20 houses have been partially damaged across the region.

پی ڈی ایم اے اپڈیٹس

خیبر پختونخوا میں زلزلے سےحادثات کےنتجے 9 افراد جابحق ہوئے ۔

۔مختلف حادثات کےنتجےمیں 44 افراد زخمی ہوئے۔

اب تک کی اطلاعات کےمطابق صوبہ بھر میں 19 گھروں کو جزوی نقصان پہنچا۔

سیکریٹری ریلیف عبدالباسط اور ڈی جی پی ڈی ایم اے ایمرجنسی آپریشن سنٹر میں موجود pic.twitter.com/LdpORywkIw

— PDMAKP OFFICIAL (@PDMAKP) March 21, 2023

Clips aired on local media and doing rounds on social media showed perplexed citizens on the streets who started reciting Quranic verses.

Experts claimed that several parts of South Asia are seismically active as the tectonic plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

The people of the region are terrified because of quakes as more than 73,000 people were killed by a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck Pakistan back in 2005.