ISLAMABAD: A strong earthquake with 6.2 magnitude hit many parts of Pakistan, including Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore, killing a minor girl and injuring 13 people.
National Seismic Monitoring Centre Islamabad said that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.2 on Richter scale, while its epicentre was in Hindu Kachh region in Afghanistan with 169km depth. However, the United States Geological Survey recorded the quake’s magnitude at 6.1.
The tremors of the earthquake were felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab, Northern Areas, Islamabad, Kashmir and India.
In Balochistan’s Bela town, a minor girl was killed and nine others injured when the roof of a house collapsed due to the earthquake. The quake’s intensity in Bela region was 4.9 and its depth was 23km, according to National Seismic Monitoring Centre Islamabad. Several villages in Balochistan felt the tremors of the quake. Emergency was declared in the hospitals.
In Peshawar, four children were injured in a stampede caused by the earthquake. The girls were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital, where they received treatment. Their condition was stated to be out of danger.
In Quetta, several buildings developed cracks. The panic gripped the city.