Thousands of Pakistanis were still waiting for government aid nearly 24 hours after a powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake killed at least 25 people and damaged homes in the Pakistan-held section of the disputed Kashmir region.
Many people spent the night of September 24-25 in open areas, fearing aftershocks. At least 700 people were injured.
The hardest-hit area was in the district of Mirpur, where thousands of homes and buildings were damaged. Mirpur is in the mountainous Kashmir region, which is divided between Pakistan and neighboring India but claimed by both in its entirety.
Pakistani officials have said they are providing disaster relief to people affected by the earthquake, but saw no tents could be seen in quake-affected areas, AP reported.
Mohammad Afzal, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, said tents, food, and blankets should start reaching affected areas later on September 25, adding, "Each and every quake victim will be looked after."
Afzal said doctors were treating hundreds of people, some of whom had suffered multiple injuries.
Almost all the casualties and damage were reported in Kashmir. One person was also killed in Jehlum, a city in the eastern Punjab Province where the tremor was also felt.
The quake also rattled the capital, Islamabad, and parts of northwest Pakistan. A magnitude-7.6 quake in 2005 killed thousands of people in Pakistan and Kashmir.
