Altaf Hamid Rao,
Death toll rose to 39 during last 3 days,
MIRPUR (AJK): At least 86 more persons were injured as a result of the severe tremor of aftershocks of the deadly earthquake in Mirpur city of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Pakistan) on Thursday, the third successive day of the intermittent shocks of the major September 24 catastrophe that has so far left at least 39 killed and over 550 injured besides loss to the private and public property worth billions of rupees, authorities said.
Mirpur Deputy Commissioner Raja Qaiser Aurangzeb Khan told APP Thursday evening that 86 persons injured in two aftershocks of the earthquake of moderate intensity that experienced in Mirpur city and outskirts, were rushed to Divisional Headquarter Hospital on Thursday. Ten of the seriously injured persons were admitted and rest of them were discharged after Medicare, he added. The DC confirmed 34 casualties registered with the control room, set up in his office.
Mirpur and adjoining areas had experienced aftershocks of the earthquake of moderate intensity again at about 12.01 pm on Thursday. After shocks had lasted for few seconds. People rushed out of the buildings to the open places in attempt to save lives. The people injured in collapse of the already earthquake- affected buildings following the aftershocks.
Meanwhile relief and rescue works are in full swing in the quake-hit zone of Mirpur and adjoining areas.
Secretary Health Services Azad Jammu Kashmir Major General Tahir Sardar, Director General Health AJK Dr. Sardar Aftab Ahmed, District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain, Medical Superintendent DHQ Hospital Dr. Farooq Noor, PMA District AJK President Dr. Ijaz Raja are directly supervising the relief and rescue works by the special mobile medical teams of the State Health Department in the affected areas.
Unveiling the breakup of the medical relief works by the State Health Authorities, Dr. Ijaz Raja told this Correspondent here on Thursday that since the evening of September 24 Mirpur was shaken by earth quake, the State Health Department, by the Grace of Allah almighty and tireless efforts of all doctors and paramedical teams from various parts of the district rushed to the earthquake affectees in the Div. Headquarter hospital and subordinate health units managing efforts continuing till the last patient cures, he added.
Elaborating, he said Secretary health, dg health and DHO along with PMA team visited earthquake stricken areas recorded and documented the infrastructure losses in different health units including new city teaching hospital, nursing college, MBBS Mirpur medical collected and all affected BHU’s and RHC’s for onward moving to all concerned authorities .
Dr. Ijaz Raja told that the World Health Organization was going to provide us portable ultrasound, x-ray machine and well equipped anesthesia machine for emergency within 24 hours.
He said detailed list of emergency medicines and equipment list also given to WHO team and they promised to provide ASAP, he added.
Moreover, the contribution of owners of various private-sector hospitals of the city to manage the injured from quake-hit areas in their hospitals with free Medicare added a precedent of sympathies expressed to the sick humanity.
