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Kashmiris stay awake as series of aftershocks jolt JK

     Srinagar: A series of aftershocks in the wee hours on Wednesday spread panic in the quake-hit regions of Jammu and Kashmir, keeping people awake the whole night. According to the Meteorological Department, four tremors of 5.2 and 5.3 magnitudes on the Richter scale jolted the state after midnight. The first quake was recorded at two minutes past midnight, and the second one came at around 2.35 a.m. The third and fourth quakes were experienced in the morning at 8.04 and 8.45 respectively. However, no casualty or damage to property was reported as yet. As per the Meteorological Department report, the epicentre of the tremors lay in northern parts of Pakistan. The aftershocks reminded people of the state of the October 8 devastating earthquake in which over 50, 000 people are feared to have died in India and Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, a strong aftershock of 5.8 intensity shook Pakistan- administered Kashmir, sparking off landslides and rattling the nerves of people who survived the October 8 earthquake. The aftershock struck 129 kilometers north of Islamabad, near the epicenter of the main quake, according to the US National Earthquake Center in Colorado. It was followed by another in the same area about 45 minutes later that registered 5.6 on the Richter Scale. The first aftershock caused a landslide in Balakot, one of the cities hardest hit by the initial quake. Debris covered the road to nearby Mansehra, but it was quickly cleared, said Pakistani Army Lt. Col. Saeed Iqbal, who is in charge of the relief efforts in the area. Despite near-continuous daytime sorties of helicopters delivering supplies to earthquake victims in recent days, an estimated half- million survivors in Pakistan Kashmir have yet to receive any aid. Lt. Col. Iqbal said the aftershock was ``very heavy`` and that he saw dust rising in mountains north of Balakot in the Kaghan Valley that he said might indicate an additional landslide. He said he had no immediate reports from his 60 teams of soldiers that were carrying in relief goods in the vicinity. Hundreds of aftershocks have struck the region since the October 8 quake. A seismologist at the U.S.National Earthquake Centre predicted that the aftershocks would continue for at least a year.