At least 38 people dead after M 5.8 earthquake struck east Pakistan

A M 5.8 earthquake that struck in the Kashmir region in north-east Pakistan has resulted in at least 38 fatalities and 435 injuries.

The seismic shock occurred on September 24, 2019, at about 16:00 local time.

The quake probably occurred due to shallow reverse faulting near the convergent boundary between the India and Eurasia plates, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers with its epicenter located near the city of Mirpur.

The tremblor caused severe infrastructure damage and communicational problems. Buildings collapsed or developed intense cracking while many roads were destroyed. Moreover, an embankment of a canal gave way flooding the nearby villages and closing a major road network.

A man miraculously escaped from a collapsing building during the earthquake. The incident was caught on camera. Click here to watch the dramatic footage.

Military forces including aviation and medical support teams were deployed to aid rescue operations in the region according to a spokesman from the Pakistan Armed Forces. Many people, including children, were pulled out of the debris. 482 people were hospitalized. 93 of them have suffered major injuries that were treated but, unfortunately, 21 passed away.

According to Shabbir Ahmad, a volunteer rescue worker in Jatlan town, the earthquake was strong but the damage caused in infrastructure was disproportionately larger than expected. Moreover, the conditions in the affected areas were shocking. "I came to my area from Mirpur, and what I saw here is beyond explanation. People were rushing hither and yon in anxiety, carrying their babies, their parents, and their other loved ones. Many volunteers like me also rushed to the area for rescue work, and my friends and I handed over the bodies from hospital to relatives at their houses by ourselves, and it was a very heart-rendering sight to watch. The happy lives of people in the villages changed into a painful situation in the blink of an eye," he stated.

The seismic shock was also felt in India's New Delhi where people were panicked and rushed out of their residences. Nevertheless, according to a report, there was no damage associated with the earthquake in the city.

Click the video below to watch major roads heavily damaged by ground cracking in the affected area.