Earthquake of magnitude 4.8 hits Pakistan-India border region

An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the Richter Scale hit the border region of Pakistan and India near Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The tremors were felt at 12.31 pm at a depth of five kilometre. No casualties have been reported.

This comes two days after at least 19 people were killed and around 100 injured after an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 jolted Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The quake damaged roads and many buildings in Mirpur, a town in PoK, which has been worst affected by the earthquake.

Major General Asif Ghafoor, a spokesman for the Pakistan Armed Forces, said that army troops with aviation and medical support teams have been sent to the affected areas for relief and rescue operations. "Thank God, the damage is confined to one particular area, and this one is pretty accessible from all sides," the chief of Pakistan`s National Disaster Management Authority, Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal, had told ARY News TV. "I can tell you right now that there is not a fear of a very big death toll." The rescue operation looked to be complete by Wednesday evening, Afzal said.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan expresses deep concern over the damage caused by the earthquake and directs all departments to provide immediate assistance," the Pakistan government said in a tweet.