ISLAMABAD: The 13th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005, that hit Azad Kashmir and Northern Pakistan was observed across the country on Monday.
The day started with special prayers in mosques for the earthquake victims. A large number of people including family members, relatives and friends visited the graveyards in the quake-hit areas.
Memorial ceremonies were held in schools, colleges, private as well as government institutions of KP, AJK, Islamabad and other cities of the country to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the deadly earthquake.
It should be mentioned that 7.6 tremors on Richter scale shook parts of the country at 08:52 am local time on Oct 08, 2005, causing massive destruction putting it higher than the massive scale of destruction of the Quetta earthquake in 1935.
Besides the death of over 80,000 people, more than 100,000 people were injured in the quake, which also destroyed villages, roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and caused massive land sliding in the most affected areas.
In Islamabad, as many as 73 people were killed and 100 others injured in the temblor that brought down Margalla Towers in a matter of seconds because of design faults than the might of the quake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.
PM EXPRESSES GRIEF:
Prime Minister Imran Khan in this issued statement regarding the October 8, 2005 earthquake said that the pain of October 8, earthquake victims was still fresh in the minds of people after 13 years.
While expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of October 8, 2005 earthquake affectees said that a department will be established regarding disaster management on the national and provincial level.
He said that a department will be formed in this regard that will be an important part of local government system. We have to expedite work on the global framework in order to minimize harms of natural disasters, he added.
PM said that strong and functional system for disaster management is the need of the hour.
