RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited earthquake affected areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K) on Wednesday and reviewed the ongoing damage repair efforts at Jatlan Canal Road.
In his remarks on the occasion, the COAS ordered that normalcy be restored with speed rendering full assistance to the civil administration and taking best possible care of the affected population.
On Tuesday a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck various parts of the Country resulting in deaths of at least 25 persons including women and children and injuries to around 400 others in Mirpur and its surrounding areas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Soon after the earthquake created havoc, the COAS directed to carry out an immediate rescue operation in aid of the civil administration for victims of earthquake in AJ&K.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq also visited the quake hit areas in Mirpur, AJ&K.
The Special Assistant visited the homes of those who lost their lives owing to the earthquake and commiserated with the bereaved families.
Talking to media in Jatlan town of Mirpur district along with Dr Firdous, the Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Muhammad Afzal said that 14 kilometer road in Jatlan was badly affected by the quake. He said that machines of Pakistan army are working to repair the road which will be opened for light traffic by tomorrow evening.
The Chairman NDMA said that the quake victims are being provided with tents, blankets and food items including flour, sugar, ghee and rice.
