MIRPUR     -   At least 86 people were injured when aftershocks of moderate intensity rocked Mirpur and Jhelum on Thursday with the death toll rising to 39.

The quake and aftershocks caused loss to public and private properties worth billions of rupees, authorities said.

Mirpur Deputy Commissioner Raja Qaiser Aurangzeb Khan told newsmen Thursday evening that 86 persons injured in two aftershocks, followed by the earthquake, experienced in Mirpur city and outskirts, were rushed to divisional headquarters hospital. Ten of the seriously injured were admitted and rest of them were discharged after treatment, he added.

Mirpur and adjoining areas experienced aftershocks of moderate intensity again at about 12.01 pm on Thursday. Tremors lasted for few seconds. People rushed out of the buildings to the open places in attempt to save lives. The people injured in collapse of the already earthquake- affected buildings following the aftershocks.

Meanwhile relief and rescue works are in full swing in the quake-hit zone of Mirpur and adjoining areas.

Secretary Health Services Azad Jammu Kashmir Major General Tahir Sardar, Director General Health AJK Dr. Sardar Aftab Ahmed, District Health Officer Dr. Fida Hussain, Medical Superintendent DHQ Hospital Dr. Farooq Noor, PMA District AJK President Dr. Ijaz Raja are directly supervising the relief and rescue works by the special mobile medical teams of the State Health Department in the affected areas.

Unveiling breakup of medical relief works by the state health authorities, Dr. Ijaz Raja told this correspondent here on Thursday that since evening of September 24 when Mirpur was shaken by earthquake, the State Health Department, by the grace of Allah Almighty was working tirelessly. Doctors, paramedical teams from various parts of the district and subordinate health units rushed to the earthquake affectees in the div. headquarters hospital to attend the patients, he added.

Elaborating, he said, secretary health, DG health and DHO along with PMA team visited earthquake-stricken areas, recorded and documented the infrastructure losses in different health units including new city teaching hospital, nursing college, Mirpur medical college.

Dr. Ijaz Raja said that the World Health Organization was going to provide portable ultrasound, x-ray machine and well equipped anesthesia machine for emergency within 24 hours.

He said detailed list of emergency medicines and equipment was also given to WHO team and they promised to provide ASAP, he added.

Moreover, the contribution of owners of various private-sector hospitals of the city to manage the injured from quake-hit areas in their hospitals with free treatment set a precedent of sympathies expressed with the ailing humanity.