14th anniversary of martyrs of 2005 earthquake to be observed today

• The 14th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005 will be observed today.
• The day would dawn with special prayers in mosques for the earthquake victims.
• A large number of people including family members, relatives and friends will visit the graveyards in the quake-hit areas.

ISLAMABAD :The 14th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, which had jolted Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), would be observed across the country on Tuesday (today).

The day would dawn with special prayers in mosques for the earthquake victims. A large number of people including family members, relatives and friends would visit the graveyards in the quake-hit areas.

Memorial ceremonies are likely to be held in schools, colleges, private as well as government institutions of KP, AJK, Islamabad and other cities of the country to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the deadly earthquake.

On October, 8, 2005  about 7.6 tremors on Richter scale shook parts of the country at 08:52 am local time, caused  massive destruction putting it higher than the massive scale of destruction of the Quetta earthquake in 1935.

Approximately 138,000 people were injured and over 3.5 million rendered homeless. According to official figures, 19,000 children had died in the earthquake, most of them in widespread collapses of school buildings. The earthquake affected more than 500,000 families.

In addition, approximately 250,000 farm animals died due to collapse of stone barns, and more than 500,000 large animals required immediate shelter from the harsh winter.

It is estimated that more than 780,000 buildings were either destroyed or damaged beyond repair, and many more were rendered unusable for extended periods of time. Out of these, approximately 17,000 school buildings and most major hospitals close to the epicenter were destroyed or severely damaged.

Lifelines were adversely affected, especially the numerous vital roads and highways that were closed by landslides and bridge failures. Several areas remained cut off via land routes even three months after the main event. Power, water supply, and telecommunication services were down for varying lengths of time, although in most areas services were restored within a few weeks.

In Islamabad, over 70 people were killed and 100 others injured in the temblor that brought down Margalla Towers in a matter of seconds because of design faults than the might of the quake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.