Today is the 17th anniversary of the devastating earthquake of 7.6 magnitude that had rocked the upper and northern parts of the country at 8:52 in the morning on October 8, 2005, leaving a trail of destruction behind, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), which will perhaps never be erased from the memories of people, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.   

Over 10 tehsils of KP were simply erased from the surface of the earth in the earthquake, the epicenter of which was 95 kilometers from Islamabad; between district Attock of Punjab and Hazara division of KP. Depth of the quake was just 15 kilometers.

Aftershocks continued to jolt these parts for several days.  

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Thousands of people were killed while millions of buildings came crashing down in other northern parts of the country.

Residents of Islamabad will also not be able to forget the quake as a part of the famous Margallah Towers had collapsed on that ill-fated day, the images of which were shown on TV screens around the world.  

People observed a minute’s silence outside the Towers in the memory of those who were crushed under the rubble of a multi-story building seventeen years ago on October 8. 

Ceremonies held in AJK cities to mark the day:

In Muzaffarabad, the capital of AJK, siren was played on that very minute at which the earthquake had struck the city and other parts of the country; one-minute silence was also observed.  

The main function, which was held at the University College Ground, was attended by Prime Minister Sardar Tanvir Ilyas and other senior government officials.   

Later, prayers were offered for those who lost their lives 17 years ago.  

Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said there were lot of rich people in the AJK. “We will open a bank account in which people could deposit their money which could be later used for the victims of such tragedies,” he added.

Another ceremony was held at the Earthquake Memorial Bridge to offer prayers for thousands of those who perished on that ominous day. 

Women and children lit candles in the memory of the people who died on that day.   

AJK Local Government Minister Khawaja Farooq Ahmad and Commissioner Masoodur Rehman also attended the event. 

Ceremonies were held in different cities of Mirpur division as well to observe the day.

A walk was organized from Chowk Shaheedan to Quaid Chowk to mark the occasion.

Similar functions were held in other AJK cities such as Kotli and others. 

In Kotli, siren was played at the deputy commissioner’s office followed by one-minute’s silence.    

People in Abbottabad remember dead ones:

Similarly, ceremonies were held in Abbottabad and other cities of KP to remember those who were killed in the worst earthquake in the country’s history. 

However, most of the buildings are still in a dilapidated condition; buildings of schools and basic health units are still to be rebuilt.

Reporters: Safeer Raza, Zahid Bashir Chaudhry, Muhammad Naeem Chaudhry and Zubair Awan