5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Pakistan

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 5 : An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter Scale jolted several parts of Pakistan on Thursday.
Pakistan's Geo News reported no loss of life so far. The epicenter of the earthquake was Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region, according to Pakistan's National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC).
After the unprecedented earthquake last June, more than 30 million people in Pakistan have been affected by torrential rains and flash floods, leaving 6.4 million people in need of immediate support.
Since June last year, hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the floods, and are now living in camps, or with host families. Months after unprecedented floods ravaged Pakistan, vast swathes of cropland and villages remain under water.
According to UNICEF, millions of people are still exposed to floodwaters or living close to flooded areas. Many families are still living in makeshift tents alongside the road or near the rubble of their home - often in the open, right next to contaminated and stagnant water.
Frail, hungry, children are fighting a losing battle against severe acute malnutrition, diarrhoea, malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, acute respiratory infections, and painful skin conditions. As well as physical ailments, the longer the crisis continues, the greater the risk to children's mental health.
Hundreds of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, while many public health facilities, water systems and schools have been destroyed or damaged, the UN agency added.