NAWABSHAH: Nawab­shah city and its adjoining areas were jolted by tremors at about 2:15am on Wednesday.

A great deal of panic was witnessed among people who came out of their houses to run away from buildings and other structures after the shocks with roaring sound disturbed thousands of them in their sleep.

Apprehending that most people might not wake up to escape a possible disaster, some of the fleeing people started firing into the air to alert others. Some others stood at safe street corners and started saying Azaan for divine help.

Reports reaching Nawabshah from other towns and rural areas suggested that no loss of life or property was caused by the jolts. However, attendance at government and private schools remained thin due to fear and panic.

Reports quoting official sources put the magnitude of the quake at 4.1 on the Richter scale. An earlier quake of 4.5 magnitude that had caused tremors in Nawabshah on May 9, 2014 had left two persons dead and more than 50 others injured.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2015

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