Funds Sent To: Community World Service, Asia
Amount Sent: US$59,998
Date: 29 October 2015
Details of Response
Emergency: Earthquake in Pakistan
Date of Emergency: 26 October 2015
ACT Requesting Member: Community World Service Asia
I. NARRATIVE SUMMARY
DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY
Six months after the devastating earthquake in Nepal, a powerful earthquake has once again hit the region. The earthquake occurred at 2:09 pm Pakistan time on 26 October 2015. The Pakistan Metrological department reported the magnitude of the earthquake as 8.1 (US Geological Survey reports it at 7.5). The quake was 196 km (120 miles) deep and centred at 82 km (51 miles) south-east of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range.
Severe tremors of this earthquake were felt across the country from north to south, in Karachi,
Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Quetta, Peshawar, Swabi, Kohat, Abbottabad, Swat, Malakand and Gilgit etc.
According to US Geological Survey, the powerful quake was also felt in India, Afghanistan and UAE.
At least 94 people have been killed and over 300 people reported to be injured so far across the country. However the number of damages and losses is expected to increase manifold as communication networks including roads and mobile phone service in some of the more northern parts of the country including KP province are disrupted. Hundreds of building collapsed in Peshawar, Swat, Lower Dir, Charsadda, Shangla, Nowshehra, Batagram, Bajuar, Abbottabad and Mansehra of KP province. Damage and loss are also reported in Bajur agency, Gilgit, Hunza of Northern areas as well as in Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Multan, Kasur, Jehlum Gujranwala districts of Punjab province.
ACTIONS TO DATE, AND EMERGENCY NEEDS
Emergency Response Teams were activated on 26 October and action plans have been finalized. Teams were sent to severely affected districts for rapid needs assessments on 28 October. Community World Service Asia has been coordinating at national, provincial and district level and engaging with both government and non-governmental organizations to accurately identify the needs on the ground. Based on initial assessment results, Shangla District has been identified as severely affected with acute needs for food and emergency health care, among others.