ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Monday marked the 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 that killed nearly 100,000 people and left millions homeless, mostly in northern areas of the country.
Special prayers, seminars, pictorial exhibitions, candle vigils and awareness walks were held in schools, colleges, private as well as government institutions to remember the victims of the deadly quake and create awareness among the general public to reduce the loss of life and property damage.
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People representing all walks of life including social and political workers, lawyers, journalists and members of the business fraternity attended the ceremonies.
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They paid tribute to Pakistan armed forces, people and government of Pakistan, the international community and donor agencies for their generous participation in relief and rehabilitation work.
One-minute silence was observed at 8:53 a.m. in the morning and sirens were blown to pay glorious tributes to the victims of history’s worst catastrophe. The national flag was being hoisted half-mast on all public buildings of the state to mark the anniversary.
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The graveyards in the quake-hit areas were flooded with large numbers of people, who were there to offer prayers for the departed souls.
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The 7.6-magnitude quake left tens of thousands injured and over 3.5 million homeless. Approximately 19,000 children were killed in the earthquake mainly due to collapses of school buildings, according to the figures provided by government.
The earthquake also demolished over 600,000 houses, more than 6,000 educational institutions, health units and government buildings.
Most of the casualties had occurred in Azad Kashmir. Also, at least 73 people were killed and 100 others injured in the federal capital, Islamabad.