Pakistan earthquake: At least 22 people dead and 700 injured after 5.8 magnitude tremor

Two men stand beside a collapsed building following the earthquake on the outskirts of Mirpur
AFP/Getty Images
James Morris24 September 2019

At least 22 people have died, with 700 injured, after a devastating earthquake hit north-east Pakistan.

A 5.8 magnitude tremor hit Mirpur, a town in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir, on Tuesday.

Four children were among the fatalities, according to local media.

Mushtaf Minhas, information minister in Pakistan-held Kashmir, said: "We are supplying tents, food and other essential items to earthquake-affected people.

"We are facing a tragedy but we will try our best to ensure the rehabilitation of affected people as soon as possible."

Mahboob Ahmed, a doctor at a village hospital near Mirpur, said 700 people were treated.

Most of them were later discharged or referred to the district's main hospital, where better health facilities were available.

But doctors were forced to treat some victims in open areas outside the hospital due to a shortage of beds.

TV footage showed cracked roads, damaged homes, shops and vehicles in Mirpur, where a breach at a main canal was submerging villages.

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