Rawalpindi Metro at the time of Earth Quake
Overhead metro railway lines can be seen swaying in Rawalpindi, northern Pakistan, after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit hundreds of miles away across the border in Afghanistan.
ISLAMABAD: A powerful earthquake of 7.5 magnitude has struck major cities of Pakistan, leaving at least 260 people dead and injuring over 1300 people. The quake was also felt in the neighbouring countries of the region.
Ration distribution centres have been set up by the military in Dir, Chitral, Bajaur and Timergara
According to a foreign news agency, the deadly quake has left 63 people dead in Afghanistan. The death toll is feared to increase.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake’s intensity at 7.7 then revised it down to 7.6 and later to 7.5.
Related read: Major earthquakes of the past 30 years
The closest major Pakistani city to the epicentre would be Peshawar — around 200 kms south-southeast. Chitral, however, would be affected as well because it is quite close to the epicentre.
In fact, a close look at Googe Maps showed that the epicentre was a mere 50-60 kms west of Pakistan’s Tirich Mir, the highest mountain in the Hindukush at 7,708 metres, and which is around 10 kilmetres from the border with Afghanistan.
