ISLAMABAD: The nation on Tuesday observed the 8th anniversary of the devastating 2005 earthquake that killed over 70,000 people in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Gatherings were organised in the affected areas to pay homage to the victims of one of the worst earthquakes of the country.
The 7.6 magnitude quake shook parts of Pakistan at 8:52am on October 8, 2005.
As many as 74,698 people died, putting the toll higher than the massive scale of destruction of the 1935 Quetta earthquake.
More than 100,000 people were injured in the quake which destroyed villages, roads, schools, hospitals, bridges and caused massive landsliding in the most-affected areas.
The day started with special prayers in mosques and Quran khawani for the earthquake victims. A large number of people including family members, relatives and friends visited graveyards in the quake-hit areas to offer Fateha for the departed souls.
Memorial ceremonies were held in schools, colleges, private as well as government institutions of KP, AJK, Islamabad and other cities of the country to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the deadly earthquake.
Special prayer ceremonies were held in cities across the country. Sirens were played at 8:52am in commemoration of the tragedy.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed laid floral wreaths for the martyrs at the University Ground in Muzzafarabad. Prayers were also offered for those killed in Islamabad where parts of the multi-storey Margalla Tower, in Sector F10, collapsed killing dozens of people.
