Srinagar/Jammu: At least, two persons were killed and half a dozen others including two Army jawans were injured as a massive earthquake, centred in Afghanistan, struck Jammu and Kashmir on Monday afternoon. Also, two elderly women residents died of shock during the strong tremors which continued for, at least, a minute.
A boy Muhammad Ashraf was killed and his father Ahmed Din was critically injured while they were cutting grass on a hillock outside Batho village in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, reports said. Police confirmed it saying that the father-son slipped and hit a rock. Angoori Devi, a Vaishno Devi pilgrim, fell from the pony at Hathi Matha en-route the cave-shrine in Trikuta hills near Jammu and died, officials said. The 80-year-old deceased was resident of Delhi’s Paschim Vihar.
Reports received here said that an 80-year-old woman Fatima suffered massive cardiac arrest during the tremors which last for at least a minute in southern Bijbehara and died instantly. In a similar case, a 68-year old woman died in north-western Baramulla district.
In neighbouring Sopore town, two jawans of Army’s Rashtriya Rifles were injured as their bunker set up in an abandoned house of Kashmiri Pandits-Ganjoo House- collapsed in the impact strong tremors. The epic-centre of the 7.5 earthquake was in the Hindukush mountain region of Afghanistan and it struck also Pakistan and parts of India at 2.40 pm, reports said. Two woman were injured in a wall collapse incident in Qazi Gund area of South Kashmir, reports said. A woman was injured in Jammu area, police said.
The mobile phone services went off and electricity supply to most parts of Jammu and Kashmir was snapped immediately after the earthquake. In summer capital Srinagar, subsequent thunder sounds amid brief spell of heavy rain added to the fear of the people. Earlier, people here could be seen rushing out of the homes and office buildings in panic. Many women were carrying copies of Islam’s holy book Qur’an and they and also most men could be heard loudly reciting its second kalima ‘Shahadah’
Reports said that many residential houses and other buildings, bridges and the flyover at Srinagar’s Jehangir Chowk have developed cracks. Dozens of cars and other vehicles in parking lots and along the roads were also damaged due to falling of the branches of Chinar and other huge trees, witnessed said.
The minaret of Kashmir's second oldest mosque -Khankah-e-Moula- in Srinagar has titled, attracting the attention of local Muslims who are making a beeline to the place of worship. Massive traffic snarls erupted in the capital City Srinagar in the wake of powerful tremors.
Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, has asked the state administration to remain in readiness to mount any relief and rescue operation following the massive earthquake. He directed respective Divisional Commissioners to keep an eye on the emerging situation and maintain close coordination with the Deputy Commissioners to mobilize immediate rescue and relief, wherever necessary.
An official release said that he also asked that all essential services, particularly those related to the health sector, be kept in absolute readiness to cater to any emergency. He stressed upon ensuring the availability of doctors and paramedical staff at all hospitals and those associated with the two medical colleges of Srinagar and Jammu, as also the tertiary-care hospital, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences here. The Chief Minister also passed instructions for establishing a control room which will collect information from across the state related to loss of life or damage to property, if any, it said.
