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2005 Kashmir earthquake

2005 Kashmir earthquake
2005 Kashmir earthquake is located in Pakistan
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2005 Kashmir earthquake
Date 8 October 2005
Origin time 03:50:39 UTC
Magnitude 7.6 Mw
Depth 15 km (9.3 mi)
Epicenter 34°27′N 73°39′E / 34.45°N 73.65°E / 34.45; 73.65Coordinates: 34°27′N 73°39′E / 34.45°N 73.65°E / 34.45; 73.65
Type Oblique-slip
Areas affected Pakistan, India, Afghanistan
Max. intensity VIII (Severe)
Landslides Yes
Aftershocks 5.9 MW Oct 8 at 03:57
5.8 MW Oct 8 at 03:58
6.4 MW Oct 8 at 10:46
Casualties 86,000–87,351 dead
69,000–75,266 injured
2.8 million displaced

The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at 08:50:39 Pakistan Standard Time on 8 October in the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir. It was centered near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It registered a moment magnitude of 7.6 and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The earthquake also affected countries in the surrounding region where tremors were felt in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Chinese Xinjiang. The severity of the damage caused by the earthquake is attributed to severe upthrust.

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 epicentre about 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, and 100 km (62 mi) north-northeast of the national capital Islamabad.

Most of the devastation hit north Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. In Kashmir, the three main districts were badly affected and Muzaffarabad, the state capital of Azad 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.


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