Rescue operation in full swing as death toll of Pakistan earthquake rises to 270

Pakistani government, army and charity organizations Tuesday continued rescue work in the areas where a massive earthquake wreaked havoc on Monday.

Local media reported that the death toll of the quake has already crossed 270 with over 2,000 injured, however, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed 230 deaths and 1,629 injuries.

Most of the rescue teams have been dispatched to the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province which was worst-hit area being closest to the epicenter, located in the Hindu Kush Mountain along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where 185 people were killed and 2,102 houses damaged, said the NDMA.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday visited the worst-hit area of KPK.

The PM did not announce any aid package for the area, however, he promised that compensation would be announced after consultation with Chief Minister of KPK Pervez Khattak.

"No stone will be left unturned for relief and rehabilitation of people," vowed the PM while addressing locals in KPK following his meeting with key government officials.

Khattak said that they are recording the losses in the province and after a complete assessment, they will be in a position to comment on the relief measures.

Khattak said he has mobilized the government machinery for the rescue and relief operation in the affected areas.

The provincial government dispatched 2,000 tents, 1,000 blankets and 2,000 floor mats to quake-hit areas, Information Minister of KPK Mushtaq Ghani said.

He also said that the provincial government will provide a compensation money of 300,000 rupees (about 3,000 U.S. dollars) to the families of the killed people.

Meanwhile the NDMA said that they have dispatched 2,000 tents to the tumbler-hit areas of KPK on Monday and more relief goods will be dispatched on Tuesday.

The NDMA has also handed over an MI-17 helicopter to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority of KPK on their request to carry out rescue operation in the remote areas.

A nine-bed mobile hospital with a team of surgeons has been dispatched to KPK with an immediate effect, said the authority.

The army also played a pivotal role in the rescue operation and the army chief reached KPK to monitor the rescue work himself.

Asim Bajwa, the spokesperson of the Pakistani Army's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a tweet to that a special C-130 cargo plane of Pakistan Air Force left for KPK's Chitral area Tuesday carrying 7 tons of ration, 2,500 ready meals, additional medical teams, 1,000 tents and blankets for distribution in remote areas.

Twenty tons of ration, 10,000 ready meals, 1,000 tents, 500 blankets have been dispatched by road for distribution in Dir District. An army relief camp and various ration distribution points have also been established, the spokesperson added.

He maintained that the Director General of Frontier Works Organization visited Karakoram Highway which was blocked at 45 different places by the quake-triggered land sliding with troops and 27 landslides have been cleared so far at the road.

Two army helicopters are also participating in ongoing relief missions, one in the KPK and another in the Gilgit Baltistan area which was also badly hit by the earthquake.

Capacity of treating patients has been enhanced by 30 percent in the Civil Military Hospitals across the country, said the ISPR spokesperson.

Spokesperson of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Khalid bin Majeed said that their workers have rescued and gave on-the-spot treatment to more than 500 injured people in all affected areas and shifted them to hospitals.

He said that the Medical teams of the PRSC have established camps in areas of Malakand division and Chitral, which are the most affected regions with less medical facilities.

The PRSC regional and district branches have provided all of their blankets, floor sheets and tents in stocks to the affected people.

International community including India, U.S. and UN expressed sorrow over the losses of lives and offered help to the quake victims.

Local met office said that the quake hit the country at about 2:09 p.m. (local time) and its epicenter was determined in Mount Hindu Kush, located along Pakistan-Afghanistan border, with a focal depth of 193 km and at a location of 36.37 North and 70.81 East.

The quake which lasted for roughly one minute created panic among the people who rushed out of their houses.

About 40 minutes after the quake, a series of aftershocks ranging from 2.5 to 5.3 magnitudes started hitting the country.

The meteorological office said that over 20 aftershocks were felt in the same area, adding that more aftershocks of moderate level are feared to hit the country. Enditem