A big earthquake epicentered in Kashmir hit northern India and Pakistan around 8:50 am local time. At 7.6 on the Richter scale, it’s bigger than the California quake of ‘89 (7.1) which took down the upper deck of the Bay Bridge and sent cars plunging into the ocean.
A powerful earthquake centered in the Hindu Kush mountains of Pakistan on Saturday morning sent tremors across South Asia, killing more than 18,000 people… [Link]
The quake in Kashmir had a magnitude of at least 7.6. The epicentre was 80km (50 miles) north-east of Islamabad…
Two buildings of the Margalla Towers residential complex collapsed in [Islamabad]… there is a small hill of broken concrete over which and under which rescue workers are desperately trying to dig out survivors… In Indian-administered Kashmir, 157 civilians and 15 soldiers are confirmed dead and more than 600 people injured. [Link]
Qaiser Abbas, a receptionist in the building, said he was sitting in his office when the building suddenly began to shake. ”After five seconds, I heard big sound, and then about 40 apartments collapsed,” he said. He said some of the residents were foreigners, including Westerners and Central Asians. The building is in an upscale neighborhood of Islamabad…
”It was so strong that I saw buildings swaying. It was terrifying,” said Hari Singh, a guard in an apartment complex in the New Delhi suburb of Noida. Hundreds of residents there raced down from their apartments after their beds and couches started shaking. [AP]
Officials in the Indian-controlled portion reported 157 killed, including 14 soldiers who perished in a landslide.
Air force and army soldiers helped civilian authorities rescue people trapped under buildings. Telephone lines were down. Bridges had developed cracks, but traffic was passing over them. [Link]Screaming people rushed out of apartment buildings in the Indian capital, New Delhi, as the tremors began… the quake was felt throughout northern and central India… The area where the quake took place is known for its frequent seismic activity and experts have long predicted an imminent major earthquake in the Himalayan region. [Link]
The death toll seems comparable to that of the Gujarat quake:
In January 2001, some 30,000 people died in a magnitude 7.7 quake in western India. [Link]
