2005 Kashmir earthquake facts for kids
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| UTC time | 2005-10-08 03:50:40 |
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| ISC event | 7703077 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 8 October 2005 |
| Local time | 08:50:39 PKT |
| Duration | 60 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.6 Mw |
| Depth | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
| Epicenter | 34°27′N 73°39′E / 34.45°N 73.65°E |
| Type | Oblique-slip |
| Areas affected | Pakistan, India, Afghanistan |
| Max. intensity | XI (Extreme) |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Aftershocks | 5.9 Mw 8 Oct at 03:57 5.8 Mw 8 Oct at 03:58 6.4 Mw 8 Oct at 10:46 |
| Casualties | 86,000–87,351 dead 69,000–75,266 injured 2.8 million displaced |
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An earthquake occurred at 08:50:39 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October 2005 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a territory under Pakistan. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It registered a moment magnitude of 7.6 and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). The earthquake was also felt in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, India and the Xinjiang region. The severity of the damage caused by the earthquake is attributed to severe upthrust. Over 86,000 people died, a similar number were injured, and millions were displaced. It is considered the deadliest earthquake in South Asia, surpassing the 1935 Quetta earthquake.
Earthquake
Kashmir lies in the area of collision of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. The geological activity born out of this collision, also responsible for the birth of the Himalayan mountain range, is the cause of unstable seismicity in the region. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured its magnitude as a minimum of 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale, with its epicenter about 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a region under the state of Pakistan and 100 km (62 mi) north-northeast of the national capital Islamabad.
Intensity
The earthquake had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme) evaluated in an area around the epicentre, between the towns of Muzaffarabad and Balakot. It was also assigned XI on the Environmental Seismic Intensity scale. Field surveys of heavy damage to buildings and other structures in Balakot determined that the Modified Mercalli intensity exceeded X. At Muzaffarabad, the intensity peaked at VIII–IX (Severe–Violent). Intensity VII–VIII (Very strong–Severe) was determined in the areas south of Muzaffarabad.
The maximum intensity in Bharat was VIII (Destructive) on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale (MSK), and was felt at Uri. MSK VII was felt in Kupwara and Baramulla. In Srinagar, the earthquake was felt with an MSK intensity of V. At areas where the seismic intensity was lower, collapses were documented. The earthquake was felt throughout central Asia, and as far away as Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Minor shaking was felt in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Aftershocks
There were many secondary earthquakes in the region, mainly to the northwest of the original epicentre. A series of strong aftershocks occurred near Muzaffarabad. As of 27 October 2005 There had been more than 978 aftershocks with a magnitude of 4.0 and above that continued to occur daily. Since then, measurements from satellites have shown that mountain parts directly above the epicenter have risen by a few meters, giving ample proof that the Himalayas are still being formed and growing and that this earthquake was a consequence of that. By the end of 2005, a total of 1,778 aftershocks were recorded.
Damage and casualties
Pakistan
Most of the devastation hit Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of Northern Pakistan. In AJK, the three main districts were badly affected, and Muzaffarabad, the state capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was hardest hit in terms of casualties and destruction. Hospitals, schools, and rescue services, including police and armed forces, were paralysed. There was virtually no infrastructure, and communication was badly affected. More than 70% of all casualties were estimated to have occurred in Muzaffarabad. Bagh, the second-most-affected district, accounted for 15% of the total casualties. In Islamabad, the Margalla Towers, an apartment complex in sector F-10, collapsed, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 70 inhabitants. One Egyptian and two Japanese were among the dead there.
The Pakistani government's official death toll as of November 2005 stood at 87,350, although it is estimated that the death toll could have reached over 100,000. Approximately 138,000 people were injured, and over 3.5 million were rendered homeless. According to government figures, 19,000 children died in the earthquake, most of them in the widespread collapse of school buildings. The earthquake affected more than 500,000 families. In addition, approximately 250,000 farm animals died due to the collapse of stone barns, and more than 500,000 large animals required immediate shelter from the harsh winter. About 200 soldiers were also killed in the epicentral area.
As Saturday is a normal school day in the region, most students were at school when the earthquake struck. Many were buried under collapsed school buildings. In Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one collapsing school killed 350 students, while another school in the same district killed an additional 50 students. Many people were also trapped in their homes, and because it was the month of Ramadan, most people were taking a nap after their pre-dawn meal and did not have time to escape. Reports indicate that entire towns and villages were completely wiped out in northern Pakistan, with other surrounding areas also suffering severe damage.
- "...A second, massive wave of death will happen if we do not step up our efforts now," Kofi Annan said on October 20, with reference to the thousand remote villages in which people "are in need of medical attention, food, clean water and shelter and the 120,000 survivors that have not yet been reached."
According to Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz "made the appeal to survivors" on 26 October to come down to valleys and cities for relief, because bad weather, mountainous terrain, landslides and blocked roads are making it difficult for relief workers to reach each house and the winter snows are imminent."
India
At least 1,350 people were killed and 6,266 injured in Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Uri there were over 150 deaths. The tremors were reportedly felt as far away as Delhi and Punjab.
Afghanistan
Four deaths were reported in Afghanistan, including a young girl who died in Jalalabad after a wall collapsed on her. The quake was felt in Kabul, but the effects were minimal there.
See also
In Spanish: Terremoto de Cachemira de 2005 para niños
- Meena - "Life Smiled Again"
- Disaster Management Act, 2005
- October 2015 Hindu Kush earthquake
- 2019 Kashmir earthquake
- List of earthquakes in 2005
- List of earthquakes in Pakistan
- List of earthquakes in India
- List of earthquakes in Afghanistan
