Memorial service to pay homage to 2005 quake victims held

ISLAMABAD: To pay homage to those who lost their lives in the Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deadly earthquake on the unfortunate day of October 8, 2005 several memorial functions are being held since early this morning, Geo News reported.

A large number of people mostly friends and family members of those who lost their lives and students gathered at the remains of Islamabad Margalla Towers on Tuesday.

As many as 73 people were killed and 100 others injured in the temblor that brought down one of the towers in a matter of seconds, more because of design faults than the might of the quake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.

Away from Islamabad, however, the earthquake devastated large parts of Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where over 100,000 people perished in what was the worst tragedy ever in the country’s history.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) president Chaudhry Abdul Majeed also attended one such memorial function held in Muzaffarabad.

The survivors of the earthquake who had lost their hearths and homes complained that the promise to build up a new city for their rehabilitation is yet to be fulfilled ever after the passage of eight long years, while the constructions of the many schools are yet to be completed.