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An extremely powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake centered in Northern Pakistan struck on October 8 at 3:50 UTC. The earthquake has devastated areas of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Early reports indicate tens of thousands of fatalities and millions left homeless--many under isolated conditions coping with extremely severe weather.
Centered approximately 10 kilometers outside of the city of Muzzafarabed in Pakistan (Kashmir), the earthquake occured at a shallow depth (~10 km), which resulted in severe ground shaking and widespread devastation. The earthquake was followed by over twenty aftershocks ranging from 4.5 to 6.2 in magnitude.
Accounts of death tolls vary, ranging between 21,000-40,000, and potentially reaching in excess of 80,000. Early relief efforts have been hampered by torrential monsoon-driven rains and resulting mudslides.
Please refer to the links below for the latest information on this rapidly developing situation.
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| Information product depicting the 7.6 magnitude earthquake epicenter and major cities in the region. Concentric circles
represent distances of 100 km, 200 km, and 300 km from the earthquake epicenter. (Image: PDC)
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Notes
The earthquake occurred in a "collision boundary" of the Indian and tectonic Eurasian plates, in a region historically known for a high level of earthquake activity...The earthquake event has been proclaimed as the worst in Pakistan's history, and is the largest recorded in the region since 1885.
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