Dozens of people received injuries when a severe earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck South Asia on Tuesday at 2:48am. Pakistan Meteorological Department director Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool said the epicentre was in the Hindu Kush mountains about 375 kilometres north of Islamabad.
This is the strongest earthquake since the October 8 deadly earthquake. The earthquake was also felt in some areas of Punjab, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad, Mansehra, Balakot and Gilgit.
According to sources of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), as many as 40 students of Peshawar and Engineering University sustained injuries, as turmoil created among the boarders while trying to escape from their compartments.
University student Muhammad Haleem jumped from the roof of the hostel and sustained serious injuries in his head. He was immediately shifted to KTH and later on moved to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) and admitted in neurosurgery ward. Three injured including a woman were treated in LRH, hospital sources informed APP.
UET, Peshawar, media director Shumaila Farooq told newsmen Muhammad Sadiq, a fourth year student of Mechanical Engineering, and Jibran Saleem, who is also a student of the university, were injured in the stampede and have been admitted to KTH.
In Muzaffarabad, many survivors of the October 8 earthquake rushed from their tents and from houses still left standing by the original disaster. "It was very strong. People came out of their tents and started screaming and reciting verses from holy Quran," resident Sarfraz Ahmad said.