Earthquake death toll reaches 216 in KP, Fata; tents, blankets food packages dispatched to affected areas

PESHAWAR, Oct 27 (APP): The death toll due to powerful earthquake that
made havoc in many districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal agencies of FATA has reached to 216 while 1544 injured are reported in roof and wall collapsed incidents.
Federal and Provincial Governments expedited relief operations for
assistance of the affected people.
As many as 185 people were killed while 1456 sustained injuries besides
2097 homes were fully damaged and five houses partially in KP as rescue and relief operations expedited in the affected districts, said PDMA spokesman while talking to APP on Tuesday.
So far, 185 people have died and 1456 persons including women and
children sustained injures in KP as several of them are in critical condition,” official of PDMA said. He said PDMA has constituted seven teams to visit the affected districts for rapid need assessment and to supervise relief activities on grounds.
The PDMA has already dispatched 2000 tents, blankets and floor mates to
the affected districts besides 1000 food packages for affected Chitral district. The official said Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir Upper and Lower and Toarghar districts are the most affected districts where infrastructure besides houses were damaged in large number.
The official said rescue and relief operations in the affected districts
continued as civil administration, police, district administration, health and education besides revenue authorities are participating in the relief operations besides army personnel.
The Spokesman highly appreciated the assistance of Frontier Works
Organization for clearing several roads in mountainous areas of Kohistan and other areas. He also commended Pak Army engineers timely support during rescue and relief operations in the affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Giving break up of the casualties, the official said four persons were killed in Peshawar, 38 in Shangla, three in Charsadda, eight in Buner, 28 in Swat, 29 in Chitral, two in Nowshera, 11 in Upper Kohistan, one in Lower Kohistan, 15 in Upper Dir, 22 in Lower Dir, one in Manshera, two in Malakand, two in Swabi, 15 in Torghar, 3 in Mardan and one in Hangu.
As per reported injured persons, the official said, 165 wounded in
Peshawar, 80 in Shangla, one in Charsadda, 95 in Buner, 161 in Swat, 200 in Chitral, 14 in Nowshera, 85 in Abbottabad, 101 in Mardan, 18 in Torghar, 19 in Swabi, 78 in Malakand, 14 in Manshera, 248 in Dir Lower, 147 in Dir Upper, three Lower Kohistan.
As per damaged of houses, the PDMA official said 417 houses damaged in
Shangla, 312 in Dir Upper, 286 in Lower Dir, 357 Malakand and 70 in Torghar besides five in Tank.
He said the PDMA has authorized all the Deputy Commissioners of the
affected districts to utilize relief funds for the assistance and rehabilitation of the earthquake victims and provide best relief to them.
He said all the DCs have been directed to utilize the available relief
funds on their disposal for rescue and relief activities including provision of food and non food items.
All the revenue staff have been directed for immediate reporting of
damages of life and properties to their respective district administration and district control rooms. The official said all the officials of line department was mobilized in the affected areas for help of the victims.
According to Spokesman of FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), 31
people were killed and 88 injured in FATA with 26 killed in Bajaur, four in Mohmand and one female in Khyber Agencies. The political administration has accelerated relief and rehabilitation operation in the affected agencies while injured with critical wounds of Bajaur Agency was shifted to Peshawar hospitals for treatment.
The FDMA spokesman said besides food items, a consignment of non-food
items including blankets, tents were being dispatched to the affected tribal areas for assistance and relief works.
He said the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan was
personally supervising the relief operations in the FATA and was in close touch with political administration in this regard.