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Oct 30, 2015 | EDOT Staff

Church in Pakistan Assists Earthquake Victims

A massive earthquake of magnitude 8.1 struck Pakistan on October, 26, 2015 that jolted the country from one end to other. This earthquake is believed to be the most severe in the history of the country, according to a spokesperson from the Diocese of Peshawar. The epicenter was the Hindukash mountain range in Afghanistan.

 

People have not yet forgotten the 7.6 magnitude earthquake of October 8, 2005, where 100,000 lives were lost and millions lost their homes. “We are thankful to God for His mercy that this earthquake of an even higher magnitude caused minimum damage in comparison,” the spokesperson said.

 

In the most recent earthquake, 272 people were killed and nearly 2,000 injured. The poor were especially hard hit. Most of the houses damaged were in the mountainous and more remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province where buildings are mostly built of mud. Major cities were affected as well. St. John’s Cathedral and All Saints’ Church in Peshawar have large cracks in the stone facia along the roof lines.

 

“By the Grace of God, the Christian community survived this earthquake unhurt,” the Diocese reported, “but there are reports of damage include churches, schools and hospitals.” Diocesan teams have been sent to assess the damage and to help those affected “without discrimination of religion, caste or creed.”

 

“Kindly pray for the victims of the earthquake and our diocesan efforts for their rehabilitation,” asked the Rt. Rev. Humphrey Peters, Bishop of Pashawar.