This aerial view shows a collapsed building in
Islamabad following a strong earthquake on Saturday.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake reduced villages to rubble in Pakistan and India on Saturday, killing more than 160 people and injuring hundreds. Pakistan’s army described the damage as widespread and said it included villages buried in quake-induced landslides.
Pakistan’s Geo television quoted Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistani army’s chief spokesman, as saying 1,000 people were feared dead. Pakistani army officials who flew over quake-hit areas reported seeing hundreds of devastated homes in villages directly north of the capital Islamabad.
“The damage and casualties could be massive and it is a national tragedy,” Sultan told The Associated Press. “The is the worst earthquake in recent times.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site the quake hit at 8:50 a.m. local time and had a magnitude of 7.6. It was centered about 60 miles northeast of Islamabad in the forested mountains of Pakistani Kashmir. The quake was also felt in Afghanistan.
Extensive damage
Damage was extensive in the disputed Himalayan territory divided between India and Pakistan. The Indian-controlled portion reported 157 killed, including 14 soldiers who perished in a landslide.
Vijay Bakaya, Jammu-Kashmir state’s chief secretary, said at least 600 people were injured when houses and buildings collapsed across Jammu-Kashmir.
“These are the current reports of casualties. The figure may rise as details come in about damaged houses and the numbers (of dead) could go up,” he said.
The quake toppled a 10-story apartment building in Islamabad and dozens of people were feared trapped in the rubble. Rescuers pulled out at least 20 injured people. Some residents were Westerners, a building employee said.
'It was like hell'
A man named Rehmatullah who lived nearby said he saw dust from the buckled building from his bathroom window.
“I rushed down, and for some time you could not see anything because of the dust. Then we began to look for people in the rubble,” said Rehmatullah, who only gave one name. “We pulled out one man by cutting off his legs.”
“It was like hell,” said Nauman Ali, who lived in a nearby top-floor apartment. “It was terrible. I was tossed up in my bed and the ceiling fan struck against the roof.”
Aided by two large cranes, hundreds of police and soldiers helped remove chunks of concrete. A concrete slab was splattered with blood. One rescue worker said he initially heard faint cries from people trapped in the rubble.
Earthquake Hits Asia
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