Pakistani people pray as they gather outside after a severe earthquake in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar, on Oct. 26, 2015. At least 64 people were killed and over 400 others injured when an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale hit Pakistan on Monday, local media and met office reported. (Photo: Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)
The Pakistani government and army has kicked off a rescue and relief operation in the areas where an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter Scale played havoc, reportedly killing over 220 people and injuring 1,200 others on Monday, officials said.
Pervez Rasheed, the information minister of the country, said that the rescue operation in the affected areas has been started and the government is developing a plan of action to help out the victims.
The information minister did not give any casualty figure, but said that the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province was the worst hit in the earthquake.
He said that the death toll is feared to rise as the remote areas could not be accessed yet due to the disruption of the road traffic because of the land sliding and suspension of the telecommunication services.
He said that the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is visiting London, has shortened his trip and will be arriving back the country tomorrow for monitoring the rescue and relief operation.
On the directions of the prime minister, a crisis cell has been formed to coordinate with all federal, civil, military and provincial agencies for damage assessment and rescue and relief efforts, he said.
The National Disaster Management Authority said that they are recording the losses incurred as the result of the quake and have dispatched a total of 2,000 tents to the affected areas.
In a tweet, Major General Asim Bajwa, the Director General of Pakistani army's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said that the military's medical teams have reached the destruction sites for the operation.
He said that ration and tents are also being provided to the people on the directives of the army chief Raheel Sharif.
Bajwa said that all resources are being used by the army to go to the remotest areas to ensure relief of every affected family, individual and extend maximum help to the victims of the natural disaster.
Local media reports said that at least 220 people were killed in the country including KPK, the east Punjab Province, north Gilgit-Baltistan area, northeast Kashmir area and northwest tribal areas.
A total of 181 people were killed in KPK and tribal areas, ten people including two school kids in Punjab, 12 in Gilgit-Baltistan while seven were killed in Kashmir area, said the report.
