UPDATES WITH STATEMENTS FROM PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, LOCAL MEDIA REPORT
By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan/ANKARA (AA) – At least six people were injured in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as a magnitude 6.3 earthquake rattled most parts of South Asia on Friday night.
The deputy commissioner of Muzzaferabad, the capital of the Islamabad-controlled region of Kashmir commonly known as Azad Kashmir, told reporters that four women and two children were injured in the tremors.
Scores of buildings in Muzzaferabad and other parts of the valley, Hameed Kyani added, cracked due to the tremors.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has not reported any loss of life so far from the rest of the country.
The state-run agency said in a statement that it was "taking stock of the situation" after the earthquake and would keep the public informed.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the powerful earthquake, whose epicenter was in Tajikistan, was felt across the region.
Footage aired on local broadcaster Geo News showed crowds of panicked people gathered in the streets after the powerful tremors jolted several parts of the northeast and northwest of the country, including the capital Islamabad, and large cities Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
Meanwhile, US Geological Survey recorded the quake's magnitude at 5.9, with a depth of 91.6 kilometers (57 miles) and its epicenter at 35 km west of Murghob in eastern Tajikistan.
