Pakistan-occupied Kashmir earthquake: Tremors felt in Delhi, Punjab

Tremors were felt across Delhi, the national capital region, Punjab and Haryana after a powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Tuesday.

No immediate casualties or damage were reported, though people rushed out of homes and offices following the tremors. “The epicentre of the earthquake was Pakistan-India border, Jammu and Kashmir region. The magnitude of the quake was 6.3 on the Richter scale. Even we felt the tremors here in the office. Tremors were felt across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir,” said JL Gautam, Director Operation, National Center for Seismology.

The epicentre of the shallow 5.8-magnitude was near the Pakistan Occupied Kashmiri city of Mirpur, roughly 22 kilometres (14 miles) north of Jhelum in agricultural Punjab province, according to the US Geological Survey.

“The (most) damage is in areas between Jhelum and Mirpur,” said the chief of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority, Lt General Mohammad Afzal.

The quake in PoK, according to reports, had left atleast 20 people dead, besides damaging dozens of homes and shops and injuring over 300.

According to Pakistan Television, four children were among the dead in Mirpur, a town in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.

Raja Qaiser, a deputy commissioner in the region, said rescuers were still transporting victims to hospitals in the city, where an emergency was declared. He said a main road near Mirpur was also badly damaged, causing accidents and damaging vehicles.

TV footage showed damaged homes, shops and vehicles in Mirpur, where a breach at a main canal was submerging villages.