20 aftershocks felt in Pakistan after yesterday's quake

As many as 20 aftershocks of yesterday's devastating earthquake which claimed more than 18,000 lives in Pakistan and PoK, have been recorded here, the Meteorological Office said today. While 18 aftershocks were recorded till last night, two more were recorded in the wee hours today, an official of the Met Office said. However, the magnitude of future aftershocks will not be as severe as recorded yesterday morning, though some of them measured upto 5.9 on the Richter scale, he said.

The Met department here has advised people to stay away from unsafe buildings for the next couple of days. The strong earthquake of 7.6 intensity on the Richter scale jolted almost entire Pakistan yesterday morning, also injuring more than 41,000 people.
The earthquake was so severe that an apartment block here collapsed under its intensity.
The quake caused heavy damage in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the North West Frontier Province.

In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, cracks have developed in walls of buildings.
Coupled with recurring tremors, Islamabad also experienced a hail storm last night, bringing down temperatures and forcing people to take shelter indoors. A thunderstorm brought in heavy showers measuring 14.3 millimetre in the federal capital last night, the Met Office said. Rain accompanied by thunder-duststorms also occurred in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Galiyat, Muzaffarabad, Balakot and Galiyat. However, Islamabad had dry weather today which made relief work easier.


Source: The Hindu