LAHORE, Oct 8: Five people suffered injuries when a three-storey building in Shah Aalam Market collapsed owing to a powerful tremor here on Saturday morning. Cracks appeared in several multi-storey buildings and houses in the city following more tremors.

According to the meteorological office, two aftershocks were felt in the city and more are feared till Monday morning.

The city’s telecommunication contacts with the quake-hit parts of the country have reportedly been suspended. However, a PTCL spokesman did not confirm it till filing of this report at 9pm.

In Shah Aalam, the three-storey plaza housing garments’ shops in Muhammadi Market collapsed. The workers present on the first and second storeys managed to vacate the building after the main tremor, however, some five of them on the third storey were trapped inside.

“The tremor was so powerful that the building was razed to the ground within minutes. No major damage was done because the market usually opens after 10am,” said Nazir, a resident of New Alamgir Market.

All civic agencies reached the spot and joined the rescue work initiated by the residents. The injured were shifted to the Mayo Hospital where the condition of Muhammad Adil was stated to be critical. The other injured were discharged after the first-aid.

People came out of their houses and employees vacated office buildings. Students also had to rush out amidst the quake. The schools, colleges and government offices were closed after the second tremor before 10am.

The buildings, which were vacated soon after the tremor, included the FIA office, the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, Wapda House, Lesco, Feroze Sons and Alfalah.

The private companies, however, did not relieve their workers who gathered outside their buildings on the road after every tremor. Reports of power breakdown after the main quake were received from various parts of the city.

A source in the Civil Aviation Authority said cracks appeared in the wall of the information centre at the Lahore airport’s international lounge.

A London-bound flight (PK-757), schedule to take off at 10am, was delayed for an hour. Its several passengers who had taken the boarding cards left the lounge following the tremor.

Meanwhile, Punjab Education Minister Imran Masood directed the secretary and executive district officers of education to inspect the school buildings in their districts and avoid conducting classes in the run-down buildings. He asked them to look after the victim students as well.

He also asked them to draft an estimate of loss in the provincial schools so that a comprehensive report could be forwarded to the chief minister to take appropriate steps.

The Punjab government had announced Rs50,000 for each injured in the province. Newly-elected City District Nazim Mian Amer Mahmood urged the citizens to contribute to the president fund to help the quake victims.

Some 40 officials of the Rescue-1122 and its six vehicles left for Islamabad to join the operation.